Dancing Queen
by sillycucumber
Summary: James loves Lily to death. But when he takes her out on a night of rule-breaking, he finally sees the side of her only one person has ever seen. Bad summary, better story.
1. Chapter 1

* Hey everyone, and welcome to another of my stories. Once in a while, I just like to have a bit of fun, and this is totally one of those times. I wanna have a go with the Marauders + Lily and minus Peter, as he is evil. :) Ahem, anyway, I hope you'll enjoy it!  
  
Disclaimer: This is not mine. Only the story line. Her royal highness owns everything else!  
  
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"Lily? Are you in there?" James said, knocking on Lily's door. There was the sound of feet, a bang and then a grunt.  
  
"Yeah. Hang on a second!" came a slightly annoyed feminine voice. James smirked and stepped back away from the portrait. James waited patiently as more sounds of moving around were coming from behind the entrance to Lily's room. James bobbed up and down on his heels and looked up at the portrait. It was a unicorn and was giving James a reproachable look. James's smile faltered as he avoided looking at it again.  
  
Seconds later, the portrait swung open and a Lily walked out, tying her hair up in a ponytail and pins stuck in her mouth.  
  
"James.' She said, smiling slightly. 'Is there sumfin important you wanted to discush?" she said through her teeth. James chuckled as she worked on her hair.  
  
"Do I need an excuse to see my wonderful girlfriend?" he said, giving her a charming smile. Lily chuckled, taking the pins out of her mouth one by one and placing them strategically in her hair.  
  
"Well, I guess not. But, couldn't you have waited until we went down to dinner? It is only...'she looked at her watch '...10 minutes away after all." She said. James shrugged and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist.  
  
"I cant wait that long." He said, leaning down and pressing his nose softly against hers. Lily sighed dramatically and pushed him away.  
  
"You are without a doubt, the most impatient male I have ever met." She said, fixing her tie. James raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Ok, you HAVE met Sirius haven't you?" he asked. Lily chuckled as she put her robe on.  
  
"Unfortunately, I have." She joked.  
  
"Oh my flower, I am shocked and appalled that you think of me that way." Came a new voice. James rolled his eyes as Sirius came up next to him and threw his arm around his shoulders. "James old boy! Fancy meeting you in a place like this!" Sirius said, patting James on the stomach with his free hand. James grunted as Sirius hit him one final time, let go and walked over to Lily.  
  
"How are you my beautiful?" Sirius said, bending down and kissing Lily on the cheek. Lily smiled.  
  
"Well, I haven't changed much since you saw me a whole 15 minutes ago." She said in a sing-song voice. Sirius chuckled and picked up her bag.  
  
"Allow me." He said, giving her a handsome smile and throwing it over his shoulder. Lily shook her head and smiled at Sirius's attempts to charm her. James rolled his eyes.  
  
"Where's Moony?" he asked, looking around.  
  
"He's down in the Great Hall with Peter. Wormtail was hungry as hell and Remus went with him to shut him up." Sirius said, grinning. James chuckled and nodded. Peter always did seem to be hungry. "So...' Sirius said, swinging his arms at his side like a 9-year-old '...have you asked her yet?" he asked, looking from James to Lily.  
  
"Asked me what?" she said, looking at James. James was giving Sirius a glare. "James?" Lily asked in a threatening way. James looked down at her and smiled at her nervously as Lily looked up at him with her hands on her hips, wanting an explanation.  
  
Sirius smiled sheepishly and cleared his throat.  
  
"Well er, that's my cue to leave. See you at dinner Prongs." Sirius said, walking off and whistling happily. James watched him walk off with Lily's bag for a second, before turning back to his girlfriend.  
  
"Well, I actually want to run an idea by you. Just to see if your interested." He said, smirking. Lily raised an eyebrow at him. He had a mischievous glint in his eye that told her what ever it was, meant there was rule-breaking involved.  
  
"No, I'm not." She said, starting to walk off. James let out a sound of impatience and grabbed her arm, turning her around.  
  
"Just hear me out!" he said. Lily sighed.  
  
"James, if you are wanting to break rules...'  
  
"Only one." He said casually, as if it were no big deal. Lily looked shocked.  
  
"James! You're Head Boy! I thought you were past all this." She said. James laughed.  
  
"Past it? You make it sound like I've had a nasty case of the flu." He said, smiling. Lily however, wasn't holding the same sort of humor.  
  
"James, I thought this year was going to be different for you four. No more pranks." She said, as if trying to jog his memory. James sighed.  
  
"Look, it's our last year, and the Marauders aren't just going to leave quietly." He said. "Besides, what I'm talking about isn't a prank. It doesn't involve anyone but me, Wormtail, Moony, Padfoot and you." He said. Lily looked at him for a moment, before sighing.  
  
"Fine, what is it?" she said, crossing her arms over her chest. James's face lit up with excitement.  
  
"Well, we were thinking that me might sneak out of the school for a night. Just for the night!" he said quickly and holding his hands up as Lily opened her mouth to protest. "We'd be back in the morning, and it would be as if we never left. No-one's gonna know!" he said quietly, as if it were top-secret information. Lily was still looking at him with suspicion.  
  
"Go on." She said. James smiled and continued.  
  
"Well, we were thinking we could go into London and do this thing called...what did Moony say it was?" he said, frowning in concentration. 'Clubbing. That's it!" he said, clicking his fingers. Lily's eyebrows rose.  
  
"And where do I come into this?" she asked. James ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up even more.  
  
"Well, you're muggle-born. You live in London...' he trailed off. Lily smiled sarcastically.  
  
"And you want me to show you around the best places?" she asked. James sighed dramatically.  
  
"Its like you read my mind." He said. Lily smiled again.  
  
"Yeah? Well maybe you can read mine." She said, and glared at him before walking around him. James was stunned for a minute, before stepping in front of her again.  
  
"Come on Lils. It'll be fun." He said. Lily glared at him.  
  
"James, we have responsibilities and you can no longer go gallivanting off on your silly little crusades!' she said, staring to feel a bit irritated. "Its bad enough you go off every month with Remus." She said. Suddenly, James's humor was gone and he flared up.  
  
"That's different! Remus needs us there to help him, and I refuse to stop being with him just because of some stupid title that I didn't even ask for!" he yelled, pointing at angry finger at her. Lily flinched and took a step back at his harsh tone. James saw this, relaxed and immediately felt guilty.  
  
"Sorry." He said quietly. Lily shook her head and rubbed his arm.  
  
"No, I'm sorry. I know how important Remus is to you. I didn't mean it like that. I just worry about you is all." She said. James wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.  
  
"Yeah, that's ok. Just a bit protective." He chuckled. Lily smiled against his chest. They pulled apart and James looked down at her expectantly, his excitement coming back.  
  
"So, what do you think?" he asked. Lily bit her bottom lip.  
  
"I haven't got anything to wear." She said, looking for reasons to get herself out of the feeling that it could be fun.  
  
"Get your parents to send you some clothes." He said simply. Lily looked at him as if he was stupid.  
  
"Yeah, I can see Eve carrying a whole bag of clothes all the way from London." She said.  
  
"Well, get your parents to shrink the... oh, right." James said, remembering her parents were muggles. "Well, send Jasper. He'll help Eve." He said. Lily thought about it some more, thinking that could possibly work.  
  
"Please Lily?" James said, putting on a puppy-dog face. Lily rolled her eyes and grinned.  
  
"You know that doesn't work on me." She said. James ignored her and stuck his bottom lip out and made his brown eyes widen, batting his eyelashes. Lily laughed and hit him gently on the cheek.  
  
"Alright! I'll go!" she said, throwing her arms up in defeat. James picked her up around the middle and spun her around.  
  
"Yes! You wont regret this!" he said, kissing her quickly.  
  
"On one condition though!" Lily said. James stopped mid cry and looked at her apprehensively, hoping the condition wasn't too extreme.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked, uncertainty in his voice. Lily smiled.  
  
"Allison can come as well." She said. James looked at her for a second, thinking this over. 6 people under the invisibility cloak? It could work if Sirius and Peter transformed. James smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yes, alright.' He said. Lily laughed and threw her arms around his neck. "I daresay Sirius wouldn't mid if she was there." He said. Lily laughed.  
  
It was common knowledge that Sirius was rather taken with Lily's best friend Allison Jessup, and had been after her for some time. Lily chuckled and kissed James.  
  
"Yeah. Hopefully she'll go. We'll just tell her Sirius isn't going." She said. James chuckled and stroked her hair.  
  
"I think I'm a bad influence on you Miss Evans." He said, smirking Lily laughed.  
  
"Probably." She said, shrugging. James kissed her again, but her down and took her hand.  
  
"Come on. Food!" he said, and dragged a laughing Lily Evans down to the Great Hall for dinner.  
  
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*Well, how was that? Any good? Let me know.  
  
Please review. 


	2. Chapter 2

* Chapter 2! I hope this story isn't too dumb, but all I wanted to do was have a bit of fun after writing such a serious story. So, thanks for reading so far!  
  
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Lily walked into her old room to see her best friend Allison sitting at the vanity table, brushing her hair. Lily smiled and leant against the doorway as she watched her best friend comb her short hair to the style she desired. Lily could definitely see why Sirius would follow her around everywhere.  
  
Allison was one of those girls that could be beautiful without trying. She had a good figure and looked after her physical appearance well. She had grown from the shy, withdrawn girl Lily had met back in first year, into a full-figured, outgoing and intelligent woman who could make Lily laugh, even in the gravest of circumstances.  
  
"Hey." Lily said, walking into the room. Allison looked at her in the mirror.  
  
"Hey Lily. What's happening?" she said, reaching for her lip-gloss. Lily walked up to her, pulled her chair out and sat down on Allison's lap, wrapping her arms around Allison's neck.  
  
"Well, I was wondering if I could possibly talk to you for a few moments." She said smoothly. Allison chuckled and put her lip-gloss down.  
  
"Of course, dear Lillian. Do enlighten me." She said in a posh voice. Lily chuckled.  
  
"So, how would you like to go out with me? To London." She said. Allison looked at her with curiosity.  
  
"London? In the middle of the school year?" she asked disbelievingly. Lily smiled and nodded. "When?" asked Allison. Lily opened her mouth to answer, but found that she couldn't.  
  
"Actually...I really don't know." Lily said. Now that she thought about it, she really DIDN'T know when James was planning to go. "But, it's soon. So, would you wanna come?" she asked. Allison laughed.  
  
"With you? Miss Head Girl who has responsibilities and has turned all serious this year?" she teased. Lily got off Allison's lap and sat on the desk in front of her.  
  
"May I remind you that you have been the one begging me to go clubbing with you? Its funny that now you have the chance to do so...'  
  
"Clubbing? Why didn't you say so!" Allison said excitedly. Lily laughed at her enthusiasm. "Where?" she said, practically bobbing up and down in her seat. Lily shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. James is under the impression that I know where I'm...'  
  
"James? As in you boyfriend... James Potter?" she said, looking at Lily accusingly. Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"No, the other James Potter." She said sarcastically. Allison ignored her.  
  
"So, it was HIS idea wasn't it?" she said. Lily sighed.  
  
"Yes, ok it was. I was totally against it, but he worked that mojo thing he has and I caved. Honestly, sometimes I hate the way he makes me into a pile of mushy romantic goo." She said, rubbing her forehead. Allison chuckled.  
  
"Ok then, James is going. Who else?" she asked, picking up her lip-gloss again and starting to apply it. Lily looked at the floor.  
  
"Well, there's Remus. And Peter...you know. All of them" she said quietly. Allison's head shot up and she looked hard at Lily.  
  
"Is Black going?" she asked in a dangerously low voice. Lily continued to look at the floor, and this was enough of an answer for Allison. "He is, isn't he?" she said, frowning. It wasn't a question. Lily looked at the ceiling and Allison jumped up out of her chair.  
  
"Oh no. No way! Forget it, I'm not going." She said, waving her hands in defense. Lily jumped up off the desk and walked over to Allison. But Allison was running away from her as if she were Sirius himself.  
  
"Allison, please?" she said. Allison shook her head and continued to back away from Lily.  
  
"No way Lily! Oh my God, do you really expect me to be there while he continually hits on me?" she said slightly hysterically. Lily sighed and let her arms flop at her side.  
  
"Allison, Sirius really isn't that bad." She said. Allison laughed.  
  
"Are you kidding? Do you have any idea what its like to have a guy follow you everywhere and ask you out every single day?" she said. Lily crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. Allison laughed nervously and put her hands on her hips.  
  
"Oh yeah. Sorry." She said apologetically. Allison remembered how James had followed her around like a puppy dog and would ask her out at least twice daily before she finally said yes. "But James turned out ok. Sirius is just so...I don't know what!" she said, not caring she sounded like a 10 year old. Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"Ok, firstly James has changed barely Secondly, Sirius is actually a great guy. And you yourself have said he is quite the looker." Lily said, winking at Allison. She smiled and nodded.  
  
"Well yes...he is. But that's not the point." She said. Lily groaned and walked up to Allison, taking her hands.  
  
"Please Allison? Do this for me?" she said, looking at her best friend with big, shining eyes. Allison still looked unsure.  
  
"Oh...I don't know." She said. Lily squeezed her hand.  
  
"Please? I'll tell Sirius to leave you alone if I have to. Please come?" she pleaded. Allison watched her best friend for a moment, before sighed and nodding.  
  
"Ok. I'll go." She said. Lily smiled widely and hugged her friend.  
  
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you." She said. Allison laughed and pushed Lily off her.  
  
"Yeah yeah, sure. Don't get all mushy." She joked. Lily laughed and grabbed her bag from the doorway.  
  
"Come on. Class." She said. Allison rolled her eyes, collected her bag and walked down the staircase with Lily.  
  
"Yeah, don't want to be late for Transfiguration." She said sarcastically.  
  
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"Potter and Black, may I remind you yet again that we are in a class?" McGonnagal snapped. James and Sirius, who had been hitting each other with their wands jumped slightly, put their wands down slowly and smiled up at their professor.  
  
"Thanks for the reminder Professor M. What would we do without you?" Sirius said, placing a hand upon his heart. McGonnagal rolled her eyes, pursed her lips and turned back to the blackboard. James snorted and gave Sirius and high-five under the table.  
  
"Honestly, it's a wonder you two actually learn anything in this class. You hardly ever listen to a word she says." Remus said, turning around in his seat to look at his two best friends. Sirius rolled his eyes at Remus.  
  
"Come on Moony. We're naturals at this, as you very well know." James said, winking at him. Remus smirked and shook his head disapprovingly.  
  
"Anyway, new subject. Did Lily agree?" Remus said. James nodded as Sirius threw a paper ball at Peter's head. He spun around and looked irritably at Sirius.  
  
"What?" he snapped. Sirius smiled anyway.  
  
"Are you coming?" he whispered. Peter looked at tad confused for a moment.  
  
"The club, Wormtail." Remus whispered to him. Peter's eyes widened as he remembered.  
  
"Oh, no. Er, actually... I-I don't think I will." He said. James looked at him with horror.  
  
"Why the hell not?" James whispered harshly. Peter flinched under Sirius's horrified stare.  
  
"I-I...just have things to do." Peter stuttered. Remus raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Like what?" he asked.  
  
"Oh really. Now Lupin, I expected more from you. Potter and Black, I wont tell you again!" McGonagall snapped. The four boys snapped to attention. Remus and Peter both spun around to face the front, but not before James, Sirius and Remus all exchanged a confused look. Since when did Peter do things without them?  
  
James looked to his left to see Lily taking notes of the board. He smiled as he watched her work. She was always the studious one. Always working to her peak. James secretly thought that she was trying to prove to everyone that just because she was a muggle-born, didn't mean she was incompetent in anything she did.  
  
Lily seemed to feel his eyes on her, as she turned to him and smiled as she noticed him watching her. James smiled back and got an idea. He took a spare piece of parchment out of his bag, wrote down an 'I love you' on it, folded it into a swan and blew it over to her.  
  
Lily looked lightly surprised as it landed in gently in front of her. She picked it up and looked fondly at it for a moment, before unfolding it and reading it to herself. James watched her smile warmly, look over at him and mouth 'Ditto' before she folded it back up into a swan, placed it at the front of her desk and went back to work.  
  
James watched her for a fraction of a second, before following suit.  
  
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"Oh man. Can you believe it? Two rolls of parchment on the Patronus Charm!" Peter practically whined. Remus chuckled as the four boys made their way out of their last class for the day. Defense Against the Dark Arts.  
  
"Its really not that bad Peter. Personally, I find Patronus's fascinating." Remus said. Sirius nodded and adjusted his bag on his shoulder.  
  
"Definitely. Those Dementors give me the creeps. I hope I never meet one." He said, shivering slightly. James chuckled and clapped him on the back.  
  
"Don't worry Padfoot. None of the pranks you pull with ever be THAT bad to land you in Azkaban." He said. Sirius barked out a laugh and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"Damn right. I am invincible." He said, puffing out his chest and flexing his right arm. Remus laughed and hit him in the stomach lightly, making Sirius deflate with a slight grunt. James laughed and went to say something when there was a low, familiar chuckle from behind them.  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure of yourself Black. One day you'll fall, and I will enjoy that day immensely."  
  
The four boys spun around to look into the greasy face of Severus Snape. Sirius sighed dramatically, as if he were bored with the whole situation.  
  
"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to eavesdrop?" he said, examining his fingernails. Snape smirked.  
  
"Who's eavesdropping? You four are talking as if you want everyone to know your secret.' He said. 'You'd better be careful, or one of your secrets may...slip." He said, looking at Remus. James took a step forward.  
  
"Don't you DARE threaten him, Snivellus." James said, emphasizing the nickname they had given him. Snape continued to smirk.  
  
"You haven't changed Potter. Still think you can tell people what to do. Still expect people to worship at your feet." He sneered, the humor gone.  
  
"Maybe you SHOULD worship at his feet. He saved your life, although I cant imagine why." Sirius snapped, glaring at Snape.  
  
"He wouldn't have had to if it weren't for you." Snape sneered at Sirius. Sirius stepped forward, his hands clenching and unclenching at his side as if he were itching to curse Snape into oblivion.  
  
"Sirius, just leave it." Remus said, rubbing his forehead. Sirius ignored him and continued to glare at Snape.  
  
"No-one told you to do as I said, did they? You were just so desperate to get Remus into trouble." He said.  
  
"What's going on here? Sirius, what are you doing?" came Lily's voice. James spun around to see her walk up to them with Allison, confusion written all over her place. But it vanished as soon as she saw Snape.  
  
"Oh, not again." Allison said, pinching the bridge of her nose. Lily dropped her bag on the floor and walked over to Sirius's side.  
  
"Leave it, or I'll have to take points from both of you." She said, more to Sirius than Snape. Sirius glared at Snape one final time, before sighing and stepping away from him. He spun around, picked up his bag and the four boys made they way slowly off down the hall.  
  
"Oh yeah, listen to the Mudblood. Be weak like usual." Snape said quietly, but it was loud enough. James dropped his back quickly, spun around and made for Snape with his wand when Remus caught him around the middle.  
  
"James no. Its not worth it." He said. But James pushed him out of the way and walked forward and pointed his wand between Snape's eyes. Snape drew his wand out like a flash and pointed it at James's chest. Sirius and Remus both pulled out their wands, ready to back James up.  
  
"Stop it! Both of you, put them away NOW!" Lily yelled angrily, stepping in- between them. James looked at her with amazement.  
  
"Are you kidding? You're just going to let him call you that?" he asked outraged. Lily sighed impatiently.  
  
"He ALWAYS calls me that. Its old, and it doesn't matter.' She said, rubbing his outstretched arm, trying to calm him down. "Please, can we just go?" she asked. James looked down at her for a moment, before looking up at Snape again. He sighed and nodded.  
  
"Alright." He said, slowly lowering his wand and putting it away. James put his arm around Lily's waist and led her away from Snape without a backwards glance.  
  
"Come on." James said to Sirius, who was still glaring at Snape. He snapped out of it, nodded and the rest of them followed James and Lily off to Gryffindor Tower.  
  
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*Yeah, I know. There wasn't much happening in that chapter. But oh well.  
  
Please review! 


	3. Chapter 3

* Chapter 3! Wow, I really didn't think so many people would be interested in this story so soon! Thanks for reviewing guys. It's awesome!  
  
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"Ok, so any more plans for the Graduation ceremony would be greatly appreciated. I really hope you all don't think I'm forcing this issue on you all." Lily said, fixing up her papers. Most of the Prefects laughed.  
  
"No way Evans. We're the ones who suggested it, remember?" said one of the Ravenclaw Prefects. Lily smiled and tucked her long red hair behind her ear.  
  
"Thanks guys. Well, if there's nothing else to discuss...Remus, did you have anything to add?" Lily said, sitting back down on the desk. Remus, who was reclined in his chair with his legs crossed out in front of him, shook his head lazily. Lily nodded and turned to James.  
  
"How about you? Anything?" she said, smirking. James smiled and shook his head also. Lily rolled her eyes, sighed and looked back at the groups.  
  
"Ok then. With that, I guess we'll do this again in a fortnight. Night guys." She said happily as the Prefects all got up and made their way out of the room. Remus, James and Lily were the only ones left.  
  
"So, have we given any more thought as to when we would like to do this little field trip?" Remus said quietly, sitting on the desk besides Lily. James jumped excitedly out of his chair.  
  
"I was thinking Saturday. That way we can sleep in and not be buggered in classes." He said smoothly, as if this were one of his best ideas. Lily's mouth dropped open.  
  
"James, that's tomorrow!" she whispered harshly. Remus chuckled and began swinging his legs.  
  
"I'm up for it." He said casually. Lily looked between him and James with amazement, before shaking her head in defeat.  
  
"I still can't believe I agreed to this. I mean, what sort of impression is this giving to the younger students? The two Heads and a Prefect leaving school. It's going to be a miracle if we pull this off." She said, getting off the desk and pulling her robes on. James exchanged a look with Remus and chuckled.  
  
"Oh Lillian. Will you ever have the heart of a Marauder?" he said dramatically, putting an arm around her shoulders. "And what of our children? Should they not have the privilege of hearing fantastic stories of how their parents would cheat death, skip school and prank the begeezers out of Slytherins?" he said, continuing his acting. Remus smiled and clapped James on the back.  
  
"I agree Prongs. I feel any young student should learn to have fun. Especially the children of the Marauders." He said in the same tone as James. Lily rolled her eyes and walked towards the door.  
  
"What HAVE I gotten myself into?" she said, smirking over her shoulder and walking out of the room. James and Remus chuckled and followed.  
  
"Only the best team in the entire wizarding world, my dear." James said, taking her hand and kissing it. Remus shook his head and followed the couple back to Gryffindor Tower.  
  
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"Hey Jessup. This seat taken?" came a deep male voice. Allison rolled her eyes and didn't look up from her book, knowing exactly who it was.  
  
"What would you say if I told you it was?" she said, turning the page. Sirius chuckled and sat down next to her.  
  
"I'd tell the other person to bugger off." He said, turning in his chair to look at her properly. Allison let out a quiet groan as Sirius simply sat there, watching her fondly. She continued to stare adamantly at her book, hoping he would eventually get bored and go away.  
  
He didn't.  
  
Allison sighed, marked her page and slammed her book shut.  
  
"Honestly Black, don't you have anything better to do?" she said irritably. Sirius shrugged.  
  
"Probably. But what could possibly be better than admiring you?" he asked, giving her a charming smile. Allison rolled her eyes, stood up and walked out of the library. She hoped he wouldn't follow her, but alas...  
  
"Hey, wait up." Sirius called, running to catch up with her. Allison groaned and kept on walking. But Sirius's long legs had no trouble keeping up with her. "So, are you coming tomorrow night?" he asked. Allison sighed impatiently.  
  
"Yes, I am. Although I really am not sure why." She said stiffly. Sirius grinned.  
  
"Great, because I highly doubt it would be any fun if you weren't there." He said, putting an arm around her shoulders. Allison shrugged him off and spun around, looking at him with a glare.  
  
"Ok, I am only going to say this once, and once only. Are you listening Black?" she said icily, pointing at him. Sirius smirked and nodded.  
  
"Right. There will be no conversation, or touching, or dancing with me tomorrow night. We will be complete strangers. I do not want have my night ruined by you and your immaturity. Do you understand?" she said, poking him in the chest. Sirius continued to smile.  
  
"I understand. I will not start any conversation with you at all." He said, holing up his right hand. Allison considered him for a moment, before nodding.  
  
"Good." She said. And with that, she turned on her heel and stormed off down the hallway.  
  
Sirius sighed fondly as he watched her go.  
  
"God I love that girl." He said quietly. There was a chuckle from behind him as James came up next to him.  
  
"Oh yeah. And it's totally reciprocated." He joked. Sirius chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"Yeah. She wants me." He said causally. James laughed, hit Sirius playfully on the back of the head and indicated for him to follow.  
  
"Come on. We've got Quidditch Practice." He said. Sirius sighed, gave one last look down the corridor and followed James off towards the pitch.  
  
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Lily stepped out of the shower, flipped her wet, long red hair over her shoulder and wrapped a fluffy white towel around her tiny torso. She padded out of her bathroom and was about to start drying herself, when there was a knock at the door.  
  
"Coming!" she called, wringing her hair out on the tiles of the bathroom. She flipped it over her shoulder and went to answer the door. She did not bother to get dressed, as she assumed it was Allison who was meant to be coming up there so they could discuss outfits, and Allison had seen Lily in less coverings than that before. They had no reason to be embarrassed around each other. But when Lily answered the door, it wasn't Allison.  
  
"James!" Lily said, slightly startled. Lily started to blush as she saw the stunned, longing expression on James's face. Lily chuckled nervously and wrapped the towel around her more.  
  
"Er, James?" she said, waving a hand in front of his face. James snapped out of his daze and looked at her, grinning sheepishly.  
  
"Sorry. I just...er, I can come back." He said in a slightly high-pitched voice. Lily chuckled and shook her head.  
  
"No, come in." she said, standing aside. James hesitated for a moment, before finally crossing the threshold of her room. He smiled nervously as Lily shut the door behind him and walked fully into the room.  
  
"So, did you want something specific?" she asked, getting her wand out. James stared at her for a moment, before slowly shaking his head. Lily smiled, spun around and walked back into the bathroom. James let out a breath, ran a shaky hand through his hair and sat down on her bed.  
  
Lily and James so far had not gone the whole way, as they had only been dating for a few months. And until now, James had not seen Lily in anything that showed off so much skin. Lily was a rather conservative dresser and would very rarely show anything remotely reveling. She was usually covering everything up, and James did not realize until now just how beautiful her physique actually was.  
  
"So, did you want to talk about something specific?" came Lily's voice. James relaxed slightly, trying to calm himself down.  
  
"Er, yeah. I did actually." He called.  
  
"Oh yeah? What?"  
  
"Well, I just came to say you don't have to supervise detentions with me tonight. I'm getting McGonagall to help out." He said. There was a brief silence, before Lily came back in the room. Thankfully, she was completely dressed and her hair was dried.  
  
"Really? Why?" he asked, retrieving her brush from her desk.  
  
"Well, you've been doing all the organizing with Prefect meetings and stuff and I thought you could use a night off." He said, grinning. Lily smiled warmly, put her brush back and walked over to stand in front of him. She put her arms around his neck and played with the hairs at the base of his neck.  
  
"That's so sweet. But I really don't mind." She said. James smirked and wrapped his arms around her waist.  
  
"I insist. You should be doing that girly preparation stuff girls do before a big even such as this anyway, not worrying about snotty-nosed kiddies in detention." He said, looking up at her. Lily laughed, leant down and kissed the tip of his nose, her long red hair creating a curtain around heir faces.  
  
"Ok then. But I owe you." She whispered. James smiled and kissed her properly.  
  
"How do you plan to repay me?" he asked. Lily chuckled and kissed his cheek.  
  
"I'm sure you can think of a way." She said suggestively, before pulling back completely and walking towards the door. "Now get out, because I have preparing to do." She said in a snobbish tone. James chuckled and walked over to the door Lily had just opened. He stopped on the threshold, bent down and kissed her again.  
  
"I love you." He said, stroking her face. Lily smiled.  
  
"I love you too." She said. James kissed her one final time, before walking out of the room, leaving Lily with that romantic, mushy feeling.  
  
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*Ok, tell me if this is going to slow, and I'll speed it up.  
  
Like it? Hate it? Let me know. Please review! 


	4. Chapter 4

*Ladies and Gentleman, may I present chapter 4! Lol. Ahem, anyway...I would like to thank all you guys for reviewing so far. It's been awesome!  
  
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Lily walked into the Gryffindor Common room late the next afternoon to find it deserted, save for one person.  
  
"Oh, Remus. You scared me." Lily said as she spotted Remus sitting in one of the chairs by the fire. Remus smiled, but did not look up from his book.  
  
"Yes. I heard you coming." He said. Lily raised and eyebrow and put her bag next to the dead fireplace.  
  
"You know that super hearing and smelling people thing? Yeah...kinda weird." She said, smirking. Remus chuckled.  
  
"Well, focusing on the advantages makes it seem less like a curse." He said grimly, continuing to read. Lily nodded understandingly. There was a short silence where Lily watched Remus read for a moment, before she shivered and resumed what she was doing.  
  
"So, is the tower empty?" she asked, bending down and looking in her bag. Remus nodded.  
  
"Yep. Everyone is apparently taking full advantage of the nice weather and lack of homework." He said. Lily nodded, but did not look up from her bag. She rummaged around until she found what she was looking for.  
  
"Ah ha!" she said in a triumphant tone as she pulled a small container out of her bag. She put in on the mantle piece, grabbed the metal gate in front of the fireplace and began dragging it out of the way. Remus raised an eyebrow and looked up from his book at the sound of metal being scraped against the stone floor, and many grunts of effort.  
  
"Um, Lily?" Remus asked, marking his page. Lily pulled again with obvious effort.  
  
"Yeah?" she asked, blowing a loose strand of hair out of her face. Remus got up out of the chair.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked, watching her with amusement. Lily however, wasn't deterred.  
  
"I need...to use...the fireplace!" she grunted, pulling the barrier away. She gave it one final tug, before it was moved enough to her satisfaction. She stood up straight, let out a sigh of relief and retrieved the small container from the mantle piece.  
  
"What for?" Remus asked. Lily took her wand out and pointed it at the fireplace.  
  
"Incendio." She said, and the fireplace sprang to life. "I need to go home for a few minutes." She said casually, opening the container. Remus got a glimpse of what was in it.  
  
Floo Powder.  
  
"Er, now?" he asked. Lily looked at him and smiled.  
  
"Yeah. I'll only be a few minutes." She said, reaching into the container and grabbing a fist full of powder. "You wanna come?" she asked, holding out the container to him. Remus's eyes widened.  
  
"To your house? In muggle London? Right now?" he asked. Lily laughed.  
  
"Yes Remus. You don't have to." She said, still holding out the container for him. Remus looked at her with amazement for a second, before chuckling and grabbing a fist full of powder for himself.  
  
"We really ARE a bad influence on you Lily." Remus said in an almost impressed voice. Lily smirked and shrugged. "I didn't know you had your house connected." He said. Lily smiled and turned towards the fireplace.  
  
"Yeah, I got it done end of last year. I thought it might come in handy." She said, smirking. Remus smiled and shook his head. How was she always so prepared?  
  
"Just follow me, ok?" she said. She threw the powder into the fireplace, shouted her address clearly and vanished in a whirl of green flame.  
  
Remus let out a breath of impressments for a moment, before following suit and disappearing in a whirl of green flame seconds after her.  
  
**  
  
Lily stumbled forward and suddenly found herself no longer in a whirlwind of fireplaces, but sprawled face down on her living room floor. She frowned and pushed herself up from the floor.  
  
"Damn grate." She cursed, looking behind her at the fireplace. So far, most of the few people who had used her fireplace had tripped over the grate. She had meant to get it fixed, but always seemed to forget. Lily turned back around to face the living room, dusting herself off. She was about to call out to see if anyone was home, when someone came running into the living room, looking around hysterically with a bat raised over her head.  
  
"Petunia? What the hell is that for?" Lily asked, trying not to laugh. Lily's sister Petunia lowered the bat slowly as she looked at her younger sister.  
  
"Lily? What are you doing here? And why are you all covered in soot?" she asked. Lily looked down at her filthy robes and then back up at Petunia.  
  
"Happens when you travel by Floo." She said, smiling. Petunia's face turned sour.  
  
"I really whish you hadn't put that thing in out fireplace. Who knows what sort of freaks could just waltz in uninvited." She said bitterly. Lily frowned and went to say something when there was a sound behind her. Lily spun around quickly, but didn't react fast enough as a filthy Remus Lupin came tumbling out of her fireplace, knocking the both of them to the floor with a grunt.  
  
Lily burst out laughing as Remus looked down at her apologetically.  
  
"Sorry Lily." He chuckled, getting off her. She chuckled as he held out his hand for her, helping her up. Lily smiled and brushed soot off his cheek.  
  
"That's ok." She said. Remus smiled in thanks for a moment, before it faded quickly as he looked at something over he shoulder. Lily spun around to see Petunia holding the bat up again, looking terrified. Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"Petunia, put the bat down!" she insisted. Petunia backed away.  
  
"Oh no. It's bad enough I have to put up with your weird ways now, but having another one in here is totally unacceptable. If Mum and Dad knew that...'  
  
"Where are they anyway?" Lily asked, cutting her sister off and looking around the house.  
  
"They're shopping. They'll be back later." She said stiffly, not taking her eyes off Remus. Remus stepped forward and took Lily by the elbow.  
  
"Er, maybe I shouldn't have come." He whispered. Lily waved a hand dismissively.  
  
"Nonsense. You always welcome here." She said, taking his hand and leading him over to Petunia. Petunia tightened her grip on the bat.  
  
"Petunia, this is Remus Lupin. One of my friends at school. Remus, this is my sister, Petunia." She said, introducing. Remus smiled.  
  
"Nice to finally meet you." He said, holding out his hand. Petunia looked as though she would have rather gauged her eyes out than shake hands with Remus, but a hard stare from Lily made her very reluctantly let go of the bat slightly and shake his hand. Lily smiled.  
  
"There, see? He doesn't bite." She said. Remus snorted at the joke that Petunia would have no idea of as Lily took the bat off her sister. Petunia glared at Remus, thinking he was making fun of her. Lily noticed this and grabbed Petunia by the upper arm.  
  
"May I discuss something with you for a moment?" she said harshly. It wasn't a question. "Excuse us for a moment, Remus." She said, smiling at him. Remus smiled and nodded as Lily dragged her sister into the next room.  
  
"Can you not be so bloody rude?" Lily whispered harshly. Petunia pulled her arm out of her sister's grasp.  
  
"Its my house, and therefore my rules.' She said with the same harshness. 'You should know better than to bring freaks like you into this house." She whispered, frowning. Lily felt herself getting angry.  
  
"Firstly, its not just YOUR house. Secondly, mum and dad have given my permission to have my friends over whenever I want. So if you have a problem with that, you're just going to have to deal with it in your own, bitter way." She said. Petunia glared at her.  
  
"Don't you see anything wrong with them?" she said. Lily sighed.  
  
"No. They are my friends.' She said. "And I'm sorry that you just can't deal with the fact that I'm a witch, but its not just a phase that's going to be knocked out of me if you call me 'freak' enough times. Its who I am." She said, and with that walked back into the living room, grabbed Remus and pulled him up the stairs to her room, leaving Petunia alone in the entrance hall.  
  
**  
  
"I'm sorry about that in there, but she just needed to be told something." Lily said, closing her door behind Remus. Remus smiled and looked around Lily's room. It was pretty much what he had expected. On her walls were pictures of her and Allison from all their years at Hogwarts. On her desk was a picture of her and James that was taken on their first date, and next to that was a picture of the 4 Marauders and Lily, posing stupidly.  
  
Her walls were covered with posters that were of some band called The Beatles and various other muggle bands.  
  
"Make yourself at home. I wont be long. I've just gotta get a few clothes." She said, pulling out a pair of flare jeans from her closet and showing him to emphasize the fact. Remus smiled as she put them into a backpack and continued to pack.  
  
"I'm sorry about the rudeness of my sister." She said, throwing tops onto the bed. "It wasn't a very good first impression was it?" she asked, smirking. Remus chuckled.  
  
"Oh no. I found her quite lovely." He said sarcastically, looking at one of Lily's books on her bookshelf. Lily laughed and continued rummaging though her closet. Remus watched her for a moment. "Does she always call you a freak?" he asked. Lily stopped mid-throw and looked at him with amazement.  
  
"Could you hear us?" she asked. Remus nodded sheepishly.  
  
"Like I said. Advantages." He said, tapping his right ear with his finger. Lily sighed and sat down heavily on the bed.  
  
"She hasn't always. Only since I started going to Hogwarts." She said sadly. Remus recognized the hunch in her shoulders as a sign of hurt. He walked up to her and rubbed her arms.  
  
"Maybe she's just jealous." He said. Lily laughed sarcastically, got up off the bed and walked over to her window.  
  
"What's there to be jealous of?" he asked. Remus smiled.  
  
"James could give you a million reasons, but I'll give you one." He said. Lily turned to look at him. "Magic is something that isn't just passed around to anyone. It's meant for special people with a divine purpose in life." He said, picking up one of the clothes she had picked out. "Don't ever let anyone make you feel bad because you have this gift Lily." He said. Lily smiled warmly at him, walked over to him and patted his cheek.  
  
"Thanks Remus.' She said. ' And if your cheek wasn't covered in smudged soot, I'd probably kiss it." She said, smirking. Remus laughed.  
  
"Better not. James might kill me." He said. Lily laughed and started packing again.  
  
"He wouldn't dare." She said. Remus smiled and handed Lily the top he was holding.  
  
"Where did you get all this stuff anyway?" he asked looking at her range of clothing he would never have thought Lily would wear. She smiled, put the last top in and zipped up the bag.  
  
"Allison and I went shopping over the summer and decided to lash out a bit. I didn't bring them to Hogwarts as I assumed my Head Girl duties would NOT involve sneaking out of our school for the night with my boyfriend and his three crazy goonies." She said, smirking. Remus laughed and followed Lily out of her room and down the stairs.  
  
"Actually, make that two. Peter isn't coming." He said. Lily looked at him over her shoulder.  
  
"What? Why not?" she asked concerned. Remus shrugged.  
  
"Dunno. He says he's got stuff to do." He said. Lily raised an eyebrow, before turning back around and leading the way back into the living room.  
  
"Ok Petunia. We're going now!" Lily called. Remus listened for a moment and it seemed like Petunia wasn't going to answer, when...  
  
"Fine. See you in two months!" she called. Lily sighed, and it apparently was good enough. She grabbed some more Floo Powder from a pot on her mantle piece, swung her bag over her shoulder, threw it into the fireplace and shouted,  
  
"Gryfindor Tower, Hogwarts." And vanished. Remus waited a few seconds, looked around Lily's house one final time and followed.  
  
**  
  
The two Gryffindors landed safely in Gryffindor Tower moments later to find it still empty. Lily let out a sigh of relief as she and Remus positioned the gate back in front of the fire. Lily let out another tired sigh and flopped down on the couch. Remus smiled and sat down next to her.  
  
"Well, that's me set for tonight." She said, patting the bag on her lap. Remus smiled as she threw it on top of her other school bag. "How about you? What are you wearing?" she asked him.  
  
"Just a simple, casual thing. Although I have to advise the other two. They've have very little idea." He said smirking. Lily laughed and patted Remus's knee.  
  
"So, what did you think of my house?" she asked. Remus smiled.  
  
"Very nice. Very cozy." He said. Lily smiled for a second, before going serious.  
  
"Can you do me a favor?" she asked. Remus nodded, indicating for her to go on. "Don't tell James about Petunia." She said. Remus considered her for a moment, before smiling.  
  
"Sure thing. You're secrets safe with me." He said. Lily smiled and went to say something else, when someone burst into the room, rather out of breath.  
  
"Oh, HERE you are! I have been all over this bloody castle looking for you!" Allison said, pointing an accusing finger at Lily. She rushed forward, grabbed Lily and pulled her off the couch.  
  
"Come ON! We have to get ready." She said impatiently. "Oh, hi Remus." Allison added happily, finally spotting Remus on the couch. Remus nodded respectfully at Allison as she picked up Lily's bag and proceeded to drag her out of the room.  
  
"Ok, well I'll er, see you later!" Lily called as she left. Remus laughed, got up and went back to his chair. He picked up his book, found his page and continued reading.  
  
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*Hey! Yeah, just another little limbo chapter. But they're so much fun!  
  
Please review! 


	5. Chapter 5

* Well, here she is Chapter 5! Well, I've actually reconsidered this story, and I'm taking it a bit further than what I originally planned. I hope you don't mind!  
  
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"Sirius, will you back off?" James whispered irritably, slapping Sirius's hands away.  
  
"No! I'm trying to make it...lay down!" he whispered impatiently, wiping his hands over James's head, attempting to smooth his hair down. James pushed him away and ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up.  
  
"There's no point Padfoot. Believe me...I've tried." He said hopelessly. Sirius chuckled softly as James adjusted his shirt. "Besides, Lily like my hair the way it is." He said, smirking. Sirius raised an eyebrow.  
  
"If she liked you in a pink too-too with fluro yellow hair would you do it?" he muttered. James went to retort, when Remus held up his hand.  
  
"Will you two shut-up? Someone's going to hear." He said, tilting his ear towards the door.  
  
James, Remus and Sirius were hiding in one of the broom closets of the ground floor. Mostly everyone had gone straight to bed after dinner, but the boys didn't want to risk any of the teachers catching them standing around in the hallways. They had learned at the Marauders did not just stand around for no particular reason. So, they had told the girls to meet them on the ground floor at 10 sharp.  
  
"Where are they? Sirius, take a look." James said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other impatiently. Sirius smirked and took out the Marauders Map from his jacket.  
  
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He said in a proud voice. The map came to life and Sirius squinted, adjusting his eyes to the lack of light.  
  
"Lum...'  
  
"No! Someone will see." Remus said, still listening. Sirius nodded and looked at the map again, tiling it so he could use the light from outside.  
  
"They're coming now. They're on the second floor." He said. James nodded, a feeling of excitement flooding over him. There was a few moments silence, before Remus flinched.  
  
"People are coming. Two of them." He said. Sirius smiled.  
  
"It's the girls. They're alone." He whispered, folding the map up and putting it back in his pocket. The sound of footsteps became increasingly louder until it stopped right outside their closet.  
  
"James? Guys, where are you?" came Lily's voice. Remus pushed open the closet door and indicated for them to come in. The two girls exchanged a look, before doing so. They squished into the closet, trying to fit. It was now very enclosed with the five 17 year olds in there.  
  
"Er, what are we doing in here?" Lily asked as she moved around, trying to get to James.  
  
"We're only in here for a few minutes while we go over the game plan." Remus said, trying hard not to touch anyone afraid that if he did, it would be in an appropriate place.  
  
"Ok then. Well, what is it? How do you 4 plan to get us all out of the castle?" Allison asked, as if daring them to come up with something. Sirius smiled.  
  
"With this." He said, holding up James's Invisibility cloak. Allison's eyes widened.  
  
"Wow! An invisibility cloak!" she said, impressments evident in her voice. Sirius smiled and sighed dramatically.  
  
"Yes. I was my fathers before he tragically died in a...'  
  
"Shut up, Padfoot. Give me my cloak." James chuckled, snatching his cloak of Sirius. Sirius smiled down at Allison, who was glaring up at him.  
  
"Ok. So we figured we going get out two at a time. Sirius can go out as Padfoot, and Remus and Allison can go out under the cloak. Lily and I can be seen in the hallways until 11:30, so it wont be suspicious for us to be walking around." James said. Remus and Allison nodded, but Sirius looked horrified.  
  
"Why does Moony get to go with Allison?" he whispered to James. James rolled his eyes.  
  
"Because Moony can't change at will like you can." He said. Sirius frowned for a moment, before nodding.  
  
"Fine. I'm going now. I'll see you guys on the other side." He said, poked his head out of the door for a moment and slid quietly out of the closet. Allison looked a little worried.  
  
"Other side?' she whispered nervously "Of what?" she said. Remus chuckled, and stuck his head out the door.  
  
"The gate." He said simply and threw the cloak over the two of them.  
  
"Ok, I'll be back for you. James first, then Lily." Came Remus's voice. James nodded at the empty space as the door opened by itself and closed again. James smirked and turned to Lily, brining him to her.  
  
"I thought they'd never leave." He whispered suggestively. Lily laughed softly and pushed him off her.  
  
"Horny bastard. Come on, lets get out of this closet." She said. James laughed and followed her out into the corridor.  
  
**  
  
Sirius leapt out from behind a tree and transformed, as he had smelt Remus and Allison approaching. He sat down on a tree stump and waited for a few moments, before there was the sound on gravel crunching and footprints appeared in the pathways.  
  
"So, bump into anyone?" Sirius asked as Remus and Allison appeared out of thin air.  
  
"No. Luckily we avoided Peeves." He said. "I'm going back for Prongs. See you again in a bit." He said, threw the cloak back over himself and disappeared again.  
  
Sirius smiled, finding that he was now alone with Allison. But Allison however, looked less than impressed.  
  
"Was that your first time under an Invisibility cloak?" he asked. Allison looked at him for a moment, before nodding.  
  
"Yeah, it was." She said simply. Sirius nodded and continued to watch her, even though her back was to him. He wanted to make conversation with her, but had promised he wouldn't. But he found that after a few moments of silence, he didn't have to.  
  
"How did you get out here without being seen?" she asked, turning around to look at Sirius with confusion. Sirius grinned and shrugged.  
  
"Just a little talent of mine. I'm rather good at not being seen." He said. Allison chuckled bitterly.  
  
"When you want to that is." She muttered, turning back to the castle. Sirius smiled.  
  
"What's that meant to mean?" he asked. Allison smiled, although it did not meet her eyes.  
  
"You. Sirius Black, always looking for attention. And yet you seem to be able to avoid it at will." She said. "You're nothing like Regulus." She said, turning around to face him again. Sirius's expression darkened.  
  
"Ah yes. Regulus. My perfect little brother." He said with bitterness. Allison was quite surprised at this. She had never seen Sirius be so...well serious. "Is it that much of a surprise? I mean, with him in Slytherin and me in Gryffindor...' he trailed off. Allison watched him for a moment. He looked pensive, as if he were running things over in his mind. But as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone and he was back to his usual humor. "Well, like muggles say. You can't choose your family." He said, standing up and stretching. Allison nodded and felt she should leave it at that, as his family was obviously a touchy subject. Sirius seemed to listen for a second, before smiling.  
  
"Ah, here come Prongs and Moony." He said. Allison was about to ask him how he could possibly know that, when sure enough the other two boys appeared out of no-where.  
  
"Hey. Glad you haven't killed him yet." James said to Allison as Remus threw the cloak back on to go back for Lily. Allison chuckled as Sirius walked up to his best friend.  
  
"Well, if your mother can go 3 months without whacking me up the ass, I think anyone can go 4 minutes in my presence." He said, running a hand through his perfectly styled hair.  
  
Allison smiled as she watched the two friends joke with each other, now understanding what Lily had meant. They really weren't that bad.  
  
**  
  
The 5 teens arrived at Kings Cross stating 15 minutes later. Sirius stepped out from behind the dumpster and threw the acorn into it.  
  
"Man. Where did you learn how to do Portkeys Padfoot?" Remus said, picking a banana peel off his shoulder. Allison nodded as Lily dusted her back.  
  
"Yeah. Why couldn't we have just Flooed to Diagon alley and made out way from the Leaky Cauldron?" she asked.  
  
"Because there's too many wizards there that would have informed the teachers about us. Isn't that right, Black?" Lily said, getting out her wand and cleaning them all in turn. Sirius smiled and nodded as Lily cleaned him.  
  
"Exactly Evans. Well done. 10 points for Gryffindor." He said. Lily smirked and grabbed James's hand.  
  
"Well, where to now?" he asked. Lily pointed down the road in front of them.  
  
"Down that way. Come on Allison. You remember better than I do." She said. Allison smiled excitedly, grabbed Remus by the arm and dragged him off ahead of the others.  
  
James laughed as they stepped out of the alleyway and into the streets of London. He looked around with interest. He hadn't really taken the time to walk around London at night, and found it now to be quite beautiful. The lights were winking at him off in the distance and the smell of take-out dinners was floating around the streets.  
  
He turned and looked at the beautiful girl on his arm. He didn't know what to make of her outfit, as he couldn't see it. She had a large, leather trench coat on and was covering her up. He sighed, figuring he could wait until later as he knew she wouldn't be wearing it all night.  
  
"Hey James." Lily asked, looking up at him. James smiled warmly down at her.  
  
"Yes my Love?" he asked, squeezing her hand.  
  
"Can you dance?" she asked. James looked at her with an expression of shock.  
  
"Can I dance she asks." He said, chucking. Lily smirked.  
  
"Can I take that as a yes?" she asked. James sighed and kissed the top of her head.  
  
"You can, and you shall." He said. Lily laughed and decided to leave it at that.  
  
The 5 friends walked for another 5 minutes until they finally arrived at the entrance to the club. There was a short line there and Sirius let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"Thank god for that. I HATE lines." He said, stepping in front of Remus. Remus chuckled and was about to walk over to join the cue, when Lily pulled him back.  
  
"No wait. Here." She said, reaching into her bag. The 3 boys watched as she pulled out 3 pieces of plastic and distributed them.  
  
"Lily, what are these for?" James asked, holding his up.  
  
"They're you id's. You wont get in otherwise." She said. "And here." She said, handing out 10-pound notes to them. "You all have to pay me back." She said, smirking. Allison chuckled.  
  
"Poor little Wizards, not having any muggle money. What would you do without us?" she asked, getting out her own money and id.  
  
"Put the guard in a body-bind and walk in anyway." Sirius muttered. Allison glared at him, but Lily saved the argument that was bound to eventuate by grabbing Allison by the hand and leading her off to join the cue. The three boys looked at the id's and money in their hands, then at each other.  
  
"She's right. What would we have done without them?" James said, smiling after Lily. Remus rolled his eyes.  
  
"Padfoot's idea most likely." He said, walking over. Sirius laughed and James nodded.  
  
"Yeah, most likely." He said and the three of them walked over to the girls.  
  
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*Yay! Go Lily taking initiative! Ahem, anyway...if this is going to slow, let me know.  
  
Please review! 


	6. Chapter 6

*Chapter 6 already! Wow, how time flies when one's having fun. Anyway, thanks for your reviews guys. They've been awesome!  
  
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James walked over the threshold of the nightclub and his eyes widened with amazement. He had been taking Muggle Studies for the past two years, and he once had to right an essay about Muggle recreational activities. He had chosen night clubbing and thought he knew enough about them to be ready for this. But now he found that he had been kidding himself.  
  
He had never seen anything that was this great in his life. He felt a rush of adrenaline that he usually only felt when he was up on his broom playing quidditch. The music was louder than he had ever been allowed to play at home, and the lights were creating an atmosphere of excitement.  
  
"Come on. We have to get a table." Allison said, dragging a laughing Lily with her off into the crowd. James laughed and turned to Sirius, who was looking around in amazement.  
  
"My god. Prongs, we have to do this more often." He said in an awed voice. Remus chuckled, took his jacket off and clapped Sirius on the shoulder.  
  
"Anything for you Padfoot." He said and the three boys walked through the crowd, trying to get to the girls who had found a table.  
  
"Hey. Nice position." Sirius said, taking off his jacket and putting it on the back of his chair. The table the girls had found was in equal walking distance from the bar and the dance floor. It also had an excellent view of everything. He sat down next to James and smiled as Alison eyed the seat next to him. But, he was disappointed as Remus sat down instead and Allison sat on the other side of him.  
  
"Well, I think you've outdone yourselves girls." Remus said, looking around. James nodded and kissed Lily on the cheek.  
  
"Definitely." He said. Lily scoffed.  
  
"Oh please. We only picked the place." She said. Sirius shook his head.  
  
"Nah. You got us these cool id photo things." He said, holding his up and examining it. Allison smirked as he stuck his tongue out slightly.  
  
"Er, shall I get us some drinks?" she asked, getting up. Lily nodded and Remus stood up.  
  
"I'll help." He said. Allison nodded and she and Remus walked off through the crowd towards the bar. James laughed as he saw Sirius's expression.  
  
"Why didn't you offer to go with her then?" he asked. Sirius smiled and shrugged.  
  
"I told her I'd leave her alone." He said simply. James nodded and turned to look at Lily, who was dancing slightly in her seat. James watched her for a moment. He couldn't even recall seeing her dancing. He didn't even know if she could.  
  
"Hey. They didn't have Butterbeer, so I got the next best thing." Remus said, handing out bottles. Sirius took his and looked at with curiosity.  
  
"No Butterbeer? What IS the world coming to?" he asked in a mock horrified tone, taking a sip of his drink.  
  
The four of them sat there, passing around general conversation for a few minutes, before the song changes. Lily and Allison looked at each other for a moment, before screaming with excitement and jumping out of their seat.  
  
"We're going to dace. Be back in a bit." Allison said, taking off her jacket. James smirked as he saw Sirius give Allison a once over. James smiled, turned around to face Lily and his eyes just about popped out of his head.  
  
She had taken her jacket off to revel the most outgoing, revealing outfit he had ever seen her wear in the entire history of him knowing her. She was wearing knee high leather boots, a denim mini skirt and a white singlet top. He was too shocked to even say bye, as the two girls ran hurriedly to the dance floor. Sirius and James watched after the girls as they began dancing.  
  
"Boy, have you two got it bad." Remus said, taking a sip of his drink. James and Sirius leant their chins on their hands and sighed.  
  
"Yeah." They both said simultaneously. Remus chuckled and watched the two girls.  
  
They were dancing in a rather provocative way that made James shiver with excitement. His question of whether or not Lily could dance had definitely been answered. She moved her hips expertedly. James felt his breathing increasing. If only she knew what she was doing to him.  
  
"James, why don't you go over there and dance with her?" Sirius said to him. "See if she can keep up." He said, smirking. James looked at Remus, who nodded. He chuckled, shrugged and stood up.  
  
"Alright. See you in a bit." He said.  
  
James made his way through the crowd onto the dance floor. He walked up to the two girls and smiled.  
  
"Hey. Mind if I cut in?" He asked Allison. She smiled and shook her head.  
  
"No way. I'm going back. See you in a bit." She said, breathing slightly hard and left Lily and James alone. She smiled and still continued to dance around him.  
  
"Glad you could make it, James. Care to show off a bit?" she asked. James smirked, grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him.  
  
"Think you can keep up?" he asked, moving his hips with hers. Lily smirked and lofted her arms above her head.  
  
"Can you?" she challenged. James laughed and they continued dancing.  
  
**  
  
"Aren't you two going to dance?" Allison said, sitting back down heavily at the table. Remus and Sirius both shook their heads. Allison raised an eyebrow. "Why not? Two good-looking boys like you should have no trouble finding girls. I've seen about 5 give you both the once over already." She said, winking at Remus. He blushed slightly, but Sirius chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"I'm only interested in one girl." He said. Allison glared at him.  
  
"I thought we agreed no talking or dancing." She said irritably. Sirius sighed and turned to Remus.  
  
"Moony, can you please ask Allison if she would like to dance with me?" he said. Remus smiled, turned to Allison and opened his mouth to speak, but didn't get to say anything.  
  
"Remus, you may tell Sirius that I have no intention what so ever with dancing with him tonight." She said, looking out into the crowd. Remus turned to Sirius, but again didn't get to say anything.  
  
"Remus, can you please ask Allison why she hates me so?" he said, looking at Allison with mock hurt. Remus rolled his eyes, stood up and walked off to the bar.  
  
"Because you're annoying." She said. Sirius sighed and slid over into Remus's chair.  
  
"Is this about how I follow you everywhere?" he asked.  
  
"No. Do you think?" she asked sarcastically. Sirius sighed and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Allison, I just...'  
  
"Forget it." She said in a final tone. Sirius looked at her for a moment, before he sighed in defeat, got up and let the table to talk to Remus.  
  
Allison watched him go for a moment. She hadn't really meant to sound so bitchy, it was just habit. She was saved from her thoughts by a red-faces Lily flopping back down next to her.  
  
"Oh wow. That boy can dance!" she said, fanning her face. Allison laughed.  
  
"Where is he?" she asked, looking around. Lily pointed to the bar where the three Marauders now resided. Allison nodded and looked at the floor. Lily raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Something wrong?" she asked. Allison chuckled.  
  
"Three guesses, and the first two don't count." She said. Lily nodded understandingly.  
  
"Ah. Mr. Black. I thought he wasn't going to talk to you." She said, taking a sip of her drink. Allison chuckled.  
  
"Well, he tried." She said, smirking. Lily laughed and watched Allison for a second. She was watching Sirius talking to James and Remus at the bar. Lily sighed.  
  
"Why don't you just admit you like him?" she said. Allison shook her head and turned back to Lily.  
  
"Because I don't." she said. Lily gave her a look. "No really, I don't. I mean, sure he's handsome. Very handsome. But I don't KNOW him." She said, looking back over at Sirius.  
  
"Maybe you should give him a chance. He might surprise you." She said wisely. Allison sighed and took a sip of her drink.  
  
"Yeah. Maybe." She said. Lily smiled at her for a moment, before she noticed Remus making his way back over to the table. Lily raised an eyebrow as she noticed something strange. Every girl he passed seemed to be drawn to him. They all looked at him in what Lily knew what a very longing, aroused way, and Remus seemed to be doing the same thing. Lily and Allison exchanged a glance as Remus sat back down at the table.  
  
"Hey.' He said. The two girls just smirked at him. "What?" he asked, looking slightly embarrassed.  
  
"Oh nothing." Lily said, waving her hand dismissively. Allison snorted into her drink as Remus looked between them with confusion. There was a moment's silence, before Lily jumped up out of her seat.  
  
"Come dance with me Remus." She said, grabbing his arm. Remus laughed nervously as Lily pulled him out of his seat.  
  
"But I er, cant dance." He said. Lily scoffed.  
  
"Nonsense. Everyone can dance. We'll be back soon Alli." Lily said, dragging Remus off into the crowd. The song changed to a slow one, and Allison laughed as she watched Lily grab Remus's arms and made him dance.  
  
"Hey." Came a male deep voice behind Allison. She sighed, knowing who it was. She privately noticed how persistent he was. 'Doesn't he ever give up?' she thought.  
  
"Hey." She said simply. But to her surprise, he didn't sit down. She turned and looked up into the handsome face of Sirius Black. He smiled and held his hand out.  
  
"May I have this dance?" he asked in a posh tone. Allison snorted.  
  
"I thought we agreed no dancing." She said, turning around again. Sirius smiled.  
  
"Rules were made to be broken.' He said. When Allison said nothing, he leant down to her ear. "What are you afraid of? Afraid you might like it?" he said. Allison spun around.  
  
"I'm not afraid. I'm a Gryffindor." She said indignantly, lifting her chin up. Sirius smirked; satisfied that he had gotten her riled up.  
  
"Well, come on then." He said, taking her hand. Allison didn't even have time to argue as Sirius pulled her out of her seat and started to walk off into the crowd. They made their way into the middle of the floor and Sirius finally let go of her hand, watching her expectantly.  
  
"So, here we are." He said. Allison really wanted to tell him where to go, but Lily's advice began playing over in her head. Allison sighed and ran a hand through her short, blonde hair.  
  
"Just one dance? "she asked. Sirius held up his 2nd and 3rd fingers on his right hand.  
  
"Marauder's honor." He said. Allison sighed and finally nodded. Sirius smiled, put his arm around her waist and they began dancing. They slowly swayed together for a while, neither one saying anything. Sirius leant his cheek against Allison's temple and breathed her in. Being the animagus he was, his senses were slightly heightened, and he found Allison intoxicating.  
  
"So, who's idea was it to come here? Really?" Allison asked suddenly. Sirius leant back again so he could look at her properly.  
  
"Moony's." he said, smirking. Allison raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Moony's Remus, right?" she asked. Sirius nodded and Allison chuckled.  
  
"He doesn't seem the type to think of this sort of thing." She said. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"He's not just a prefect. He's a Marauder too. He's got a rebellious streak about him just like the rest of us." He said in a slightly proud tone. Allison shook her head.  
  
"Have you seen the way girls are staring at him?' she asked. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"You mean that look that says 'I'm going to jump you and do you on this dance floor right now until we both pass out' ?" he asked. Allison laughed.  
  
"Yes! That's it. What's that about do you suppose." She asked. Sirius smirked and looked over at Remus and Lily. Remus was looking around at the closest girls, all of them giving him the said look.  
  
"Animal magnetism." He said elusively. Allison didn't really understand the full extent of this comment, as she did not know of Remus's condition. Sirius had read somewhere that werewolves could tell when females were in heat, as they could pick up on certain pheromones. And it apparently swung both ways. Sirius was finding it very hard not to tease the crap out of Remus about it.  
  
"How did you and James become such good friends?" she asked, changing the subject. Sirius shrugged.  
  
"I don't think it was one defining moment. We just sort of...clicked. James is the best mate anyone could ever ask for." He said in a proud sort of voice. Allison watched Sirius for a moment, taking in how loyal he was.  
  
"Anything else you would like to know?" he asked. Allison thought for a moment.  
  
"Not right now." She said, smiling. Sirius gave her a charming smile what somehow made her stomach clench.  
  
"Alright then. May I ask you a few questions?" he asked. Allison smiled and nodded, putting her arms around his neck.  
  
"Ok."  
  
**  
  
"Remus, must you be so reluctant? Honestly, what are you going to be like at your wedding?" Lily chuckled, trying to get Remus to put his arms around her waist. Remus chuckled nervously.  
  
"I told you, I'm not that good with girls." He said. Lily laughed.  
  
"What rubbish, its only me. Besides, have you not noticed the drooling girls following you around all night?" she asked. Remus looked rather embarrassed.  
  
"You...you noticed that, huh?" he asked. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Um, it's kinda hard to ignore all the death glares I've been getting for the past 5 minutes." She said. Remus looked around and indeed, many girls were looking at Lily as if they wanted to kill her. Remus sighed.  
  
"I'm really sorry. It's just this place and all the smells... and all the females." He finished huskily. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Well, we're leaving soon anyway." She said, looking at her watch. Remus nodded, looked over her shoulder and smiled. Lily went to ask what he was looking at, when someone kissed her cheek.  
  
"What's the meaning of this Mr. Moony? I go to have a tinkle for 5 minutes and you waltz in like you own the place." James said, smirking. Remus chuckled and stepped back away from Lily.  
  
"Never mind. I'll just go and...occupy myself." Remus said, looking around the room. Lily chuckled as Remus walked off and James grabbed her around the waist.  
  
"So, on my travels back to my lady in waiting, I noticed a certain canine friend of mine having a civil, yes CIVIL conversation with one, Allison Jessup." He said. Lily's eyes widened as she looked around the crowd. Her mouth spread into a wide grin as she spotted Sirius and Allison dancing together and talking. Lily sighed and shook her head.  
  
"Ok, could this night GET any weirder?" she asked, putting her head in the crook of James's neck. James chuckled and rested his chin on the crown of her head.  
  
"Well, lets see. Moony is making most girls in this club have spontaneous orgasms by just looking at them, Sirius and Allison are being nice to each other, and you are wearing the most outgoing and sexiest outfit I think I have ever seen. No, I think the weirdness factor is full." James said. Lily looked up at him.  
  
"You think I look sexy?" she asked, smirking. James chuckled, bent down and kissed her.  
  
"Oh yeah." He said. Lily laughed and they continued to dance for a few more songs.  
  
Finally, after a while Remus ran up to Lily and James, looking rather worried.  
  
"Ok, not to put a damper on this party, but if you don't get me out of here soon...' he said, looking slightly embarrassed. Lily and James exchanged a look, before nodding.  
  
"Sure. Let's get Sirius and Allison and we'll go. It's getting late anyway." James said, taking Lily's arm and looking at her watch.  
  
The three teens went to retrieve Allison and Sirius and left the club, giving it one last glace.  
  
"Ok. After Graduation, we come back here. Agreed Prongs?" Sirius said. James chuckled.  
  
"Definitely. Moony? Think you can handle it?" he asked Remus, who was setting up a Portkey. Remus chuckled.  
  
"I think so. And we can bring Wormtail with us. I'm sure Padfoot can show him around." He said, smirking at Sirius. Sirius barked out a laugh and Allison turned to Lily.  
  
"What's with those nick names anyway?" she muttered. Lily laughed as the 5 of them all stepped behind a dumpster and touched the Portkey.  
  
"Don't ask." She said simply, as they felt the familiar tug behind their navel and began their journey back to Hogwarts.  
  
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*Wow! That was a long chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it. If it sucked, I can re-post it. I work only to please you guys!  
  
By the way, I have no idea whether or not that werewolf-pheromone thing is even true, but I thought it might be a funny twist, seen as Remus is usually seen as keeping out of trouble.  
  
I didn't put in details of clothing much, as I have no idea of the fashion of the seventies, and its better to be safe than sorry.  
  
Thanks for reading so far. Please review! 


	7. Chapter 7

* Coolies. Chapter 7. I know, the whole club thing is over, but I just wanted to have a bit more fun with it. Hopefully you wont hate it, cause its kind of going off the track of what I originally said in the summary.  
  
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"Run Lily!" James laughed softly, as he and Lily sprinted up two flights of stairs to their Head Rooms. They were laughing hard with silent laughter, trying not to wake up the entire castle.  
  
"Quick, left left LEFT!" Lily said, skidding around the corner, James next to her. They ran a short distance down the new hallway before they stood in front of James's room.  
  
"Phoenix Tears!" James breathed to the portrait. The Centaur looked down at the two teens suspiciously for a moment, before finally swinging open.  
  
"Quick, get in!" James whispered, letting Lily go first. James followed her in hurriedly and shut the portrait behind them.  
  
The two of them just stood still for a second, catching their breath. Lily was clutching a stitch at her side and James was leaning on his knees. After a few moment's the two of them looked up at each other and then burst out laughing.  
  
Once again, they were both breathing hard now not only from running, but from laughing so hard.  
  
"Oh Lily, I don't think I've ever run that fast in my life!" James said, flopping down on his bed. Lily laughed, wiped her eyes and lay down next to him.  
  
"Oh... me either." She said, chuckling. James smiled and sighed, calming down.  
  
"Oh man, Dumbledore HAS to get rid of that idiot." James said, running a hand through his hair. Lily smiled and nodded.  
  
"Definitely. I mean, what castle really needs a poltergeist anyway?" she asked, scratching her stomach.  
  
When the 5 of them had returned to Hogwarts, they had split up. Remus, Sirius and Allison went back to Gryffindor Tower under the Invisibility Cloak, and Lily and James decided to take the map and sneak around the castle.  
  
It had been going well, until they had run into Peeves, who was very hell bent on causing trouble for the students, even if they were Head Girl and Boy. So, as a result, Lily and James had bolted off towards his room, as it was closest.  
  
"This castle obviously. I'm sure Filch would be happy to see him gone though." He said. Lily chuckled.  
  
"And I'm sure half the student body would be happy to see Filch gone." She said.  
  
"What, only half?" he joked. Lily snorted and his him softly on the chest with the back of her hand.  
  
They sat there in silence for a few moments, before James turned onto his side so he could look at Lily lying next to him. He smiled down at her and stroked her hair softly, taking her in.  
  
"You looked incredible tonight." He said, stroking her face. Lily smiled.  
  
"So did you. I didn't think you would blend in as well as you did. Where did you learn how to dress like a muggle so well?" she said, pulling on his sleeve. James chuckled.  
  
"Believe it or not, I actually LEARN things in Muggle Studies." He said. Lily chuckled.  
  
"I never would have thought that." She said, raising an eyebrow. James chuckled, leant down and kissed her.  
  
"Did they make it back ok?" Lily asked. James sat up and pulled the map out of his pocket.  
  
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He said, taping the parchment with his wand. And as expected, the map of Hogwarts appeared. Just as James spotted them, the three dots labeled 'Sirius Black', 'Remus Lupin' and 'Allison Jessup' crossed the threshold of the Gryffindor common room. James let out a breath of relief.  
  
"Yeah, they made it." He said. Lily nodded and put her hands behind her head.  
  
"That's good." She said. James wiped the map clean, threw it and his wand into a pile of clothes on the floor and lay back down next to Lily.  
  
"So, Peeves is probably still out there." James started. Lily nodded.  
  
"Yeah, he's horrible." She said, making a face of dislike. James smiled.  
  
"Well, y'know. You could probably...stay here if you wanted to." He said, fussing nervously with the cuff of his sleeve. Lily looked up at him.  
  
"Here? For... the night?" she asked. James chuckled.  
  
"Yeah." He said, looking a bit nervous. Lily sat up.  
  
"Er James, not to sound like am up-tight priss, but...'  
  
"I know.' He said cutting her off. 'You're not ready for...THAT. And honestly, neither am I.' He said. 'I just thought you know...to save you the trouble of walking back and risk getting caught...' he trailed off, looking away. Lily smiled and kissed his cheek.  
  
"Alright then. I'll stay." She said. James smiled and they both climbed up into the bed properly. James lay on his back and Lily put her arm around him, her head resting on his chest.  
  
"Besides,' he said ', I want our first time to be special. Not when we are half-drunk and have just escaped exposure from a disgusting floating piece of ectoplasm." He said. Lily laughed into his chest.  
  
"Definitely." She chuckled. James smiled and kissed her head.  
  
"You had fun tonight didn't you?" he asked uncertainly. Lily nodded.  
  
"Actually, I did. And I didn't even worry once about whether or not we were missed." She said in a matter-of-factly tone. James chuckled.  
  
"That's good then." He said. There was a moment of silence before, Lily yawned, stretched and then relaxed against James.  
  
"Night James." She said drowsily. James smiled, wrapped his arm around Lily, took his glasses off and closed his eyes.  
  
"Night Lily." He said.  
  
Their exhaustion carried them off to sleep minutes later.  
  
*****************************************  
  
"Morning all! How did we sleep last night?" Asked Sirius cheerfully, as he sat down next to Peter at the Gryffindor Table late next morning. Remus groaned and put his head in his hands.  
  
"Someone shut him up or I will." He said flatly. Lily chuckled.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" Sirius said, helping himself to a piece of toast. Remus looked up at him with tired eyes.  
  
"I think he's mojo's still working from last night." James said, smirking at Remus. Peter looked confused.  
  
"What did I miss out on? Anything?" he asked. Sirius smiled.  
  
"Yes, actually you did.' He said, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. Peter watched Sirius for a moment.  
  
"Well?" he blurted out when Sirius said no more. "What did I miss?" he asked eagerly. Sirius rolled his eyes and went o answer when Allison came up to the group and sat down next to Lily.  
  
"Morning. How did you two go last night? Get back ok?" she asked. Lily and James nodded.  
  
"Well, we had a run-in with Peeves, but be got back quick enough." Lily said. James went to comment further, when Professor McGonagall walked up to them.  
  
"Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office." She said. The 4 marauders and 2 girls all exchanged a nervous look. Could he possibly know?  
  
"Er, now?" James asked, putting his toast down. McGonagall nodded.  
  
"Yes Potter, now. Come on." She said and began walking off. James and Lily gave the others a meaningful look and reluctantly followed their Head of House out of the Great Hall.  
  
**  
  
"Please, sit down." Dumbledore said, indicating to the two vacant seats on the other side of his desk. James and Lily exchanged a look, before doing as they were told. The two teens waited for Dumbledore to speak, trying their best not to look guilty.  
  
"Now, what I have to discuss with you I really didn't think I would have to. Especially with you two actually. But, something has been brought to my attention and I'm afraid I must deal with it appropriately." He said, folding his hands on his desk. James and Lily said nothing.  
  
"Now, would either of you like to give your version of last night's events?" Dumbledore said, tapping his long fingers on the table. Lily and James looked startled.  
  
"You...you know about last night?" Lily said quietly. Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"Oh yes. Surely you could not expect such information to remain a secret, especially in this castle." He said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Lily looked at the floor, but James shrugged.  
  
"Well, we kinda hoped that it would actually." He said. Lily's head shot up and she looked at James with amazement.  
  
"Are you insane?" she said harshly. James looked slightly taken aback.  
  
"Well, he asked a question and I answered him. I mean, he knows anyway. There's no point trying to hide it." He said.  
  
"Yes. I do appreciate your honesty James. So with that, I'm afraid I must get what I have to say out in the open." He said. Lily sighed and looked like she was on the verge of tears.  
  
"Yes sir." She muttered, looking at the floor again.  
  
"Now, I had assumed that as Head Girl and Boy, you would have understood the expectations placed on you. You very well know that you are influencing younger students." Dumbledore said.  
  
"Yes Sir." The two teens said. Dumbledore smiled and continued.  
  
"And I understand that you two are wanting to spend more time with each other, as you are at that age." He said.  
  
"Yes Sir." They answered flatly. Dumbledore continued.  
  
"Therefore, I must ask you two to no longer spend the night in each others dormitories." He said.  
  
"Yes Si...' the two of them broke off as their Headmasters words sunk in. Their mouths dropped open in shock.  
  
"I-I beg your pardon sir?" Lily asked, leaning forward in her chair.  
  
"Well, I realize you two are becoming more serious in your relationship, but I must ask that you keep things...low-key in future. I know that this may be interfering with your private business, but I have certain rules in this castle when it comes to...physical intimacy, and I had hoped that as Head Boy and Girl, you would have known that." He said, the twinkle still present in his eyes.  
  
Lily and James stared openly at the old man for what seemed like hours. Finally, Lily spoke.  
  
"You mean, this is about me staying with James last night?" she asked. James nearly groaned out loud with annoyance. Lily was usually smart, but covering things up definitely wasn't her area of expertise.  
  
"Why, yes. A prefect informed me that she saw you and James exiting his room together this morning. I spoke to the unicorn that guards your room and she told me you did not return at all last night." He said. Lily went to say something else, when James jumped in.  
  
"Yes, well Lily DID stay the night with me last night. See, you understand sir. Teenage hormones and all." He said shrugging. Lily looked at him with horror, but Dumbledore looked at James with amusement.  
  
"Well I must say I haven't experienced teenage hormones in a great deal many years James, but if memory serves me right, I do recall." He said, leaning back in his chair. James sighed dramatically.  
  
"And plus, Lily did look extraordinarily beautiful last night. And then one thing led to another...' James trailed off, taking Lily's hand. Lily was so red she was putting her hair to shame. She felt she could have just died with embarrassment right there and then.  
  
"You know how it goes sir." James said, letting go of her hand and leaning back in the chair like the old man. Dumbledore considered the two of them for a moment, before nodding.  
  
"Very well. I shall excuse this, this time. But may I have your assurances you will try to... control you urges?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.  
  
"That is not a problem sir. Lily, we can do that cant we?" he asked, smiling at Lily. Lily sighed, shook her head and smiled, her embarrassment quickly fading.  
  
"Sure. It won't happen again." She said, smiling at her Headmaster. Dumbledore luckily missed the sarcasm.  
  
"Very well then. Go and enjoy the rest of your weekend." He said, standing up. James stood up and shook Dumbledore's hand happily.  
  
"Thanks sir. Come on Lil's." he said, grabbing Lily's hand and leading her out of the office.  
  
The two of them didn't speak until they were well down the corridor away from Dumbledore's office. Once they rounded a corner, James let go of Lily's hand and they stood there for a moment, staring at each other.  
  
And then they burst out laughing.  
  
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* Hehe, Dumbledore thought they had sex. How funny!  
  
Ahem, anyway, I hope that little chapter was good. I thought it would be fun to write, and it was!  
  
Please review! 


	8. Chapter 8

* Chapter 8! Thanks for your reviews guys, they are so awesome! But can I just ask, is anyone else looking forward to POA as much as I am? Oh my god, I'm so excited!  
  
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"Sirius! Hey Sirius wait!"  
  
Sirius turned around at the sound of his name being called. He looked through the crowd of students heading to class, and rolled his eyes as soon as he spotted who it was. He turned back to the other three Marauders.  
  
"Just go. I'll catch up. Tell Flitwick I might be late." He said. James nodded and Sirius watched them disappear into the crowd.  
  
"Hey. I didn't think you'd stop." The boy said. Sirius laughed.  
  
"Come now Regulus. As if I wouldn't stop for my little brother. Even if he is nothing but a Slytherin." He said in a babying tone, grabbing Regulus in a head-lock and ruffling his hair. Regulus shoved Sirius off him.  
  
"Spare me. It's bad enough people KNOW we're related." He said, adjusting his robes. Sirius rolled his eyes.  
  
"What do you want? I'm late for charms." He said. Regulus rolled his eyes.  
  
"Because I don't have anything better to do than deliver mail to you." He snapped sarcastically. Sirius smiled sarcastically at him as Regulus handed him a piece of parchment.  
  
"It's from mother.' He said simply. "She wants to know if you're coming home this summer." He said. Sirius looked at the unopened parchment in his hand, before handing it roughly back to his brother.  
  
"What do you think?" he asked bitterly, walking off.  
  
"Its not what I think. She wants to know!" Regulus called, running up to catch up with Sirius.  
  
"Why the sudden interest anyway? She has you doesn't she? The 'Perfect' son." Sirius snapped, continuing to walk. Regulus grabbed Sirius by the arm, halting his progress down the hall.  
  
"Do I detect a hint of jealousy there, my dear brother?" he asked, smirking. Sirius grabbed Regulus angrily by the front of his robes.  
  
"Jealous of what? That I wont get my marry my cousin just because of some stupid belief? Yeah, I'm real jealous." He sneered. Regulus pushed Sirius off him.  
  
"You're such a Gryffindor." He said as if it were a disgusting thought. Sirius smiled and put a hand on his heart.  
  
"Thanks for the compliment." He said. And walked off down the corridor to Charms, leaving his brother in the middle of the hallway.  
  
*******************  
  
"Moony, do you know what's coming this month?" James whispered urgently, looking up from his book. Remus put a finger to his chin in thought.  
  
"Lets see. Valentines day? My mother's birthday?" he asked sarcastically. Peter sniggered but James glared at him.  
  
"Be serious! It's a Blue Moon this month." He whispered harshly. Remus's smile vanished quickly.  
  
"Are...are you sure?" he asked, feeling nervous. James nodded sympathetically.  
  
"Sorry mate. I'm sure. I checked the chart 5 times." He said, handing over the book he was reading. Remus took it off him and examined it with extreme concentration.  
  
"A Blue Moon. Is that...bad?" Lily whispered, leaning over next to Peter to get a look at the book. Remus nodded slowly as he handed the book back to James.  
  
"Yeah. It is." He said. Lily noticed he looked a little green.  
  
"Will you be ok?" she whispered. Remus sighed and looked at the table.  
  
"I don't know. I've only been through one Blue Moon before, and that was years ago." He said.  
  
"We'll be there Remus. It's different this time." Peter whispered, tapping Remus on the back. Remus nodded and went to comment, when Sirius waltzed in, looking quite please with himself.  
  
"Um Sirius, how the hell did you get in here?" James chuckled as his best friend sat down happily next to him. Sirius sighed and put his hands behind his head.  
  
"Charm my dear boy. Charm." He said simply, reclining in his chair. James snorted and went back to his book.  
  
The group were sitting in the library, as were supposedly studying. Well, it wasn't a complete lie. They WERE studying, just not for school. James had been concerned during Astronomy class that morning that a Blue Moon was coming, and he had wanted to check how Remus would fare. Apparently, it wasn't good.  
  
"So, has anyone seen Allison?" Sirius asked, looking around. Lily chuckled.  
  
"She's in Gryffindor Tower if you want to talk to her." She said simply. Sirius chuckled and patted Lily on the arm.  
  
"What would I do with out you?" he asked, taking her hand and kissing it. Lily rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away. James went to comment, when...  
  
"BLACK!" Madam Pince whispered harshly. Sirius winced and jumped out of his seat.  
  
"Busted. Gotta go!" he said, and bolted from the library, Madam Pince chasing him out into the hallway. James laughed at his best friend.  
  
Ever since one of Sirius's pranks had gone wrong in the Library, he had been banned from even entering it without a teacher present to make sure he wouldn't set any more bookshelves on fire.  
  
"Well, at least we know Sirius will never be forgotten." Remus said, smirking. The 3 surrounding people chuckled and went back to their books.  
  
**  
  
Allison was reclined on the couch, taking full advantage of the fact that she had no homework. Lily had asked her if she wanted to join them in the library, but seen as Allison had spent the better half of two weeks in there, she graciously declined.  
  
Just as she was about to doze off, someone burst into the common room.  
  
"Oh man. That Librarian can RUN!" Sirius said in an awed voice, looking behind him. Allison rolled her eyes.  
  
"I thought you weren't meant to go into the library anymore. Aren't you banned or something?" she said, sitting up. Sirius smiled as he spotted her on the couch. He shrugged, walked over to her and sat down.  
  
"Yeah. But like that would stop me." He said, leaning back into the couch. Allison smiled.  
  
There was a moment's silence between the two of them, before Allison got bold.  
  
"Um, is there something wrong between you and your mother?" she asked timidly. Sirius turned to her, the humor quickly leaving his face again.  
  
"Where did you hear that?" he asked. Allison shrugged.  
  
"I heard you and Regulus talking. It just sounded like you and your mum...don't get along." She said quietly. As soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately regretted brining the subject up, as it was obviously a sore spot for him. But to her amazement, he didn't yell at her.  
  
"Yeah... well, we have our differences." He said. Allison sighed.  
  
"Did you...move out?" she asked. Sirius looked at the floor.  
  
"Yeah. I lived with James for the whole summer." He said quietly so no-one else in the common room could hear. Allison was curious for more.  
  
"Why?" she asked. Sirius sighed and shut his eyes.  
  
"The Blacks are a whole 'yay to Pureblood' family. We...THEY believe in purity." He said, correcting himself. "I had different ideas about that." He said, opening his eyes again. Allison remained silent as Sirius sighed. "So, I told them what I thought of them and left the building." He said, making actions with his fingers. Allison smiled and nodded.  
  
"I...I'm sorry. You know, for asking such a personal question." She said quietly. Sirius smiled and waved his hand dismissively.  
  
"No problem. I wouldn't have told you if I didn't think you'd keep it to yourself. I trust you." He said, smiling. Allison was a little startled by this, but smiled and continued to watch him, even after he looked away. He didn't seem the type to have any problems. She had always assumed him to be a troublemaker who didn't really think about the consequences of his actions. It was only now she realized this was in fact, not actually the case, and she wondered how much lese she had wrong about him.  
  
Finally, Sirius shook himself out of his daze and looked around the common room with a mischievous glint in his eyes.  
  
"Well, I think its time I went and found my brothers-in-crime. Would you like to escort me? If your there it will give off them impression that your supervising." He said running a hand through his hair and standing up. Allison snorted and nodded.  
  
"So, have you managed to raise the suspicion of every teacher in this entire school?" She asked, getting up and following Sirius out of the common room. Sirius laughed.  
  
"No, unfortunately my record still has one notch in it." He said. "Silly old fool that man. Dumbledore's way too trusting." He said, as if it were a great disappointment to still have the trust of a teacher. Allison chuckled.  
  
"You may regret saying that one day." She said. Sirius shook his head.  
  
"Nah." He said simply. Allison smiled and shook her head as she and Sirius continued walking.  
  
**  
  
"Are Blue Moons really that bad?" Lily asked uncertainly. James nodded sadly.  
  
"Yeah. I've been reading about them the whole afternoon, and they don't sound too pleasant." He said, flinching a bit in sympathy. Lily frowned.  
  
"Well, what happens?" she asked, not knowing if she really wanted to hear the answer.  
  
"It can vary, but generally the transformation is worse. They become more violent. More dangerous to humans." He said. "Its like...giving them steroids." He said, looking for the best way to explain it. Lily shivered.  
  
"Poor Remus." She said. James nodded and Lily looked up at him.  
  
"Are you...going to be there for him?" she asked. James nodded.  
  
"Of course I am. We all will be." He said, looking down at Lily's nervous face. He frowned. "You don't want me to go do you?" he said. It wasn't a question. Lily bit her lip for a moment, before sighing.  
  
"Look, half of me is saying it's a good idea for you to be there to help Remus." She said.  
  
"But the other half?" he asked.  
  
"The other half is worrying sick about you." She admitted quietly. James sighed, finding he couldn't get angry. She was only worried about him after all.  
  
"Look, I'll be fine. We all will. Its like falling of a very big, hairy log." He said smirking, trying to lighten her spirits. Lily chuckled as James kissed the top of her forehead.  
  
"Come on, lets go find Sirius." He said. Lily sighed, nodded and the two of them walked of together, hand in hand.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
*Ok yet again, I have no idea if that comment about the Blue Moon is actually true, but I thought I would place it in there anyway.  
  
Please review! 


	9. Chapter 9

*Chapter 9! Wow. How awesome! Thanks so much for your awesome reviews guys. You rock!  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
"Ok you three, please be careful." Lily said, tugging on James and Sirius's sleeves. Sirius rolled his eyes.  
  
"Listen to her will you? We're experts Lillikins. We'll be fine." He said, prying Lily's hand off his arm. Lily frowned.  
  
"Well excuse me for being concerned!" she snapped irritably. James chuckled and patted her shoulder.  
  
"Padfoot's right Lily. We'll be fine. Its Remus you have to worry about." He said. Lily threw her arms up in the air.  
  
"I will worry about all of you until the day I die. You understand that?" she said, looking at the three boys in turn. They all looked a little startled at this sudden outburst.  
  
"Lily, honestly. We'll be back in the morning." Peter said timidly. The other two boys nodded. Lily considered them all for a moment, before sighing in defeat.  
  
"Ok. Go." She said, waving her hand at the doors. "I'll see you in the morning." She said, rubbing her forehead. James smiled and kissed her cheek.  
  
"Bright and early my love." He said. Sirius smiled and kissed her other cheek.  
  
"Kisses from Padfoot means good luck." He said in a 5-year-old tone. Lily chuckled as Peter patted her shoulder.  
  
"We'll be ok." He said. Lily nodded wrapped her arms around herself.  
  
"Tell Remus I'll be thinking of him. Of all of you." She said, looking at them with worry. James smiled nodded and looked at his watch.  
  
"Come on,' said James, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and looking outside. 'Time to go." He said, getting out the invisibility cloak. He looked at Peter, who nodded, looked around them to make sure no-one was watching and turned into his rat form. The remaining people watched him run off down the hall and out of sight.  
  
"See you." James whispered as he threw the cloak over himself and Sirius.  
  
Lily sighed and listened as the sound of the two boys footsteps faded into the distance. She sniffed, adjusted her tie slightly and began her walk back to Gryffindor Tower.  
  
**  
  
"Wow. Blue Moon." Allison said, sitting down next to Lily at the window. Lily smiled weakly, her chin resting on her hand.  
  
"Yeah. Pretty isn't it?" she said with not much enthusiasm. Allison looked at Lily with concern.  
  
"You alright?" she asked. Lily waited a moment, before sighing and nodding.  
  
"Yeah. Just thinking." She said. Allison nodded and shifted slightly. What she didn't know, was that Lily had been sitting at the window for the past hour, watching the small point in the distance that was the Shrieking Shack.  
  
"Where's the Marauders?" she asked, looking around. Lily flinched slightly.  
  
"I don't know. Probably doing something illegal." She said, forcing a smile and a chuckle. Allison snorted.  
  
"Yes, most likely. But...I thought James wasn't doing that anymore." She said. Lily looked at Allison and laughed, and this time it was genuine.  
  
"James will be causing trouble, even when he is 110 years old, in a nursing home with no-more teeth and a walking frame." She said. Allison laughed.  
  
"Boys never grow up. Always up for trouble making and adventure." She said, shaking her head. Lily smiled and looked out the window again.  
  
"That's for sure." She said. The two girls sat in silence for a few moments, before Allison rubbed Lily on the arm.  
  
"You think James is the one for you?" she asked. Lily was slightly taken aback by the suddenness and directness of this question.  
  
"Er, that's a hard one." She said, smiling. Allison chuckled.  
  
"Well, could you see yourself being his wife and having little James's running around the house?" She asked. Lily snorted.  
  
"Oh yeah. Definitely. A little boy with messy black hair and glasses that looks just like his daddy." She joked. Allison laughed.  
  
"Poor kid." She said. Lily laughed.  
  
"Oh, I know! Can you imagine the sort of life that child would have? With a father like James, not to mention his 'Uncle's Moony, Padfoot and Wormtail'. The poor child will be corrupted beyond his years!" she said, laughing. Allison snorted.  
  
"What about Aunt Petunia?" she asked. Lily cringed.  
  
"Urgh, no! Little James will have nothing to do with her." She said in a final tone. Allison snorted.  
  
"Is that your rule or hers?" she asked. Lily snorted.  
  
"Definitely hers." She said. Allison laughed.  
  
"I think you'd make a good mum. And I reckon James would surprise us all and make a good dad." She said. Lily laughed.  
  
"Ok, here we are talking about kiddies and James and I aren't even married yet." She said.  
  
"Which brings us back to the original question. Could you, or could you not spend the rest of your life with James Potter?" Allison said, watching Lily intently. Lily sighed and thought for a moment. She smiled.  
  
"You know what? I actually think I could." She said dreamily. Allison smiled as Lily laughed in amazement. "Can you believe this? We're actually talking about me marrying JAMES! I mean, James Potter who I loathed, who is now my boyfriend and potentially my future husband." She said. Allison was laughing so hard, she was crying.  
  
"Who would have thought that? Funny how things turn out huh?" she asked, wiping her eyes. Lily raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah, Finny how things turn out." She said, Allison gave her a sarcastic look, knowing she was referring to Allison and Sirius.  
  
There was a moment's silence, before Allison stretched and yawned.  
  
"Come on. Lets go to bed. I'm stuffed." She said, rubbing her stomach. Lily laughed and stood up, ready to turn in herself. "Coming?" Allison asked.  
  
Lily looked once more out the window and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I'm coming."  
  
******************************  
  
"Remus? Remus wake up." Sirius said, shaking Remus gently. Remus groaned, but didn't move.  
  
"Come on mate." James said softly. Remus opened his eyes slowly and squinted at the slowly rising sun filtering through the dirty windows. He lifted his head slowly off the pillow to look at the three boys next to him, smiling at him warmly.  
  
"Hey Moony. How're you feeling?" Sirius said, putting his hand on Remus's arm. Remus groaned and rolled over onto his back. He was lying under the covers of one of the old beds in the shack. Apparently though, one of the boys must have fixed and cleaned it, as it was looking like new. Remus tried to sit up.  
  
"Not too bad." He said weakly. James put his arm behind Remus's back, helping him sit up slightly. Peter chuckled.  
  
"You're such a liar." He said, sitting down on the foot of the bed. Sirius smiled.  
  
"Damn right he is." He said, pulling up a broken chair. Remus smiled weakly.  
  
"Why did you wake me?" he asked.  
  
"Cause... we have to get back up to the school. We didn't want to leave until we made sure you were ok." Said James, putting his robes back on. Remus sighed and closed his eyes again.  
  
"Ok. You'd better go." He said. Sirius smiled.  
  
"Alright. We'll be back later." He said. Remus turned to smile at him, but his eyes widened in horror as he spotted Sirius's arm. Most of his right sleeve was drenched in blood.  
  
"Did...did I..." he asked, indicating to Sirius's arm. Sirius waved a hand dismissively.  
  
"Nothing Madam Pomfrey can't clean up." He said casually. Remus looked at him as if he had gone mad.  
  
"Sirius, I..."  
  
"Shut up Moony. You didn't mean it." Sirius said firmly, but his eyes were twinkling.  
  
"We'll see you late Remus." James said, patting him lightly on the shoulder. Remus watched his three best friends vanish into thin air in a matter of seconds; their warm yet concerned faces still fresh in his mind.  
  
Remus felt an immense amount of guilt rush over him. It wasn't the first time he had accidentally hurt one of his friends. He had nearly bitten Peter's hand off once, but that didn't mean he still didn't feel bad.  
  
Remus shifted slightly and scratched his chest. He looked down at himself, finding he was naked. He had ripped his clothes off during the night.  
  
He sighed and tried to relax. His whole body ached. Every muscle felt like it had been exhausted beyond its possible use.  
  
Remus listened to the sounds filtering up from Hogsmeade, before his exhaustion carried him back off to sleep.  
  
**  
  
Remus awoke hours later to the feeling of someone wrapping up the self- inflicted wounds on his body. He opened his eyes slowly, finding that he still ached tremendously and looked down expecting to see Madam Pomfrey. But who he saw was the last person he expected to see.  
  
"Lily?" he asked, squinting to make sure he was seeing things right. Lily looked up just as she was finishing tying his bandage up and smiled warmly at him.  
  
"Hey. You're awake." She said happily, getting up off her knees. She grabbed a chair and sat down next to Remus.  
  
"What...what are you doing here?" he asked, shifting slightly.  
  
"I had a free period, so I thought I would come and see you." She said. Remus looked at her with tired amazement.  
  
"How did you get past the Willow?" he asked. Lily smirked.  
  
"I used a stick. It wasn't easy you know...trying to hold the cloak over you while dodging a psycho tee's branches." She said, shaking her head. Remus chuckled and winced.  
  
"Don't make me laugh." He said, clutching his side. Lily smiled guiltily.  
  
"Sorry. How are you feeling?" she asked, looking over him. Remus smiled and closed his eyes.  
  
"Like hell." He said flatly. Lily smiled.  
  
"We'll, that's alright then." Lily joked, smirking. Remus smiled for a moment, before it faded.  
  
"Have you seen Sirius?" he asked. Lily nodded.  
  
"Only for a second." She said.  
  
"Is he ok?" Remus asked. Lily nodded.  
  
"He's fine. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw him though." She said. As soon as the words left her mouth, she quickly clamped a hand over her mouth in horror. "Oh Remus, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that. I just...'  
  
"It's ok Lily." Remus said, cutting her off. "Expect nothing less from a monster." He said darkly.  
  
"You're not a monster." She said, taking his hand. Remus sniffed with amusement.  
  
"Everyone else seems to think so." He said softly. Lily frowned.  
  
"Who cares what everyone else thinks?" she asked defiantly.  
  
"I do.' Remus said, finding himself quickly feeling better. 'Don't you think I'm worried about what is to become of me after school?" he asked. Lily stayed silent. "No one will employ a werewolf." He said darkly. Lily shook her head.  
  
"Dumbledore would." She said, smiling. Remus raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Are you suggesting I become a teacher? I'm far too young." He said.  
  
"Well, not necessarily a teacher." She said.  
  
"What, do something like Filch? Or Hagrid?" he asked. Lily frowned.  
  
"There's no shame in what they do." She said. Remus shook his head.  
  
"No, I didn't mean it like that.' He said. Lily sighed and stroked his hand with her thumb.  
  
"What do you want to do Remus?" she asked, curios. She had never discussed future plans with him and now found herself very interested.  
  
She watched him think for a while, before his face hardened and his eyes went slightly dark.  
  
"I want to be an Auror.' He said. 'I want to stop...Him." He said determinedly. Lily nodded, knowing exactly who he was talking about.  
  
"We all do. And I'm sure you'll get your chance, even if you aren't an Auror. Everyone needs to participate to bring Him down." She said. Remus nodded.  
  
"I know. I just hope we can stop it before anyone else gets hurt. So many lives have been ruined already." He said. Lily nodded.  
  
There was another short silence as the two of them took a moment to reminisce about the dark times that they currently lived in, before Lily sighed and stroked Remus's hair.  
  
"Look, I'd better go. I'll see you later though." She said. Remus nodded.  
  
"Thanks for coming, although you really didn't have to." He said smiling. Lily chuckled, leant over and kissed Remus on the forehead.  
  
"Just rest. You'll be fine." She said. Remus nodded as Lily disappeared under the invisibility cloak, her footsteps fading as she walked out of the room and down the stairs. Remus sighed and closed his eyes and relaxed into the bed, trying to do as Lily told him.  
  
He fell back asleep moments later.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
*Oh, don't you just LOVE Remus? * Runs and hugs Moony *  
  
Ahem, well anyway...please Review! 


	10. Chapter 10

* Yay! Chapter 10. Thanks for reviewing guys. You really don't get how many fuzzy feelings I get when I read them.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
"Hey Allison! Stop walking so bloody fast!"  
  
Allison rolled her eyes and smirked, but did not stop walking. She wanted to watch him make an idiot of himself while trying to barge through the crowd of students to get to her.  
  
"Sorry Black, I can't hear a word you're saying!" she called over her shoulder. She chuckled to herself as Sirius finally barged his way through the crowd, ran up to her and grabbed her arm, halting her progress down the hall.  
  
"You know, usually when people ask other people to stop, they DO!" Sirius said, smiling. Allison snorted.  
  
"Yeah, usually." She said, pulling her arm away slowly and walking off again. Sirius laughed and ran in front of her, cutting her off.  
  
"You are a hard woman to talk to. But, I am certainly up for the challenge." He said, smirking. Allison rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.  
  
"What do you want Sirius?" she asked. Sirius was slightly taken back. Allison had never called him anything besides 'Black' before.  
  
"Well...' he said, smoothly putting his arm around her shoulders 'I was wondering if maybe you would like to go with me to Hogsmeade next weekend." He said. Allison raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You mean like...on a date?" she asked. Sirius smiled.  
  
"Well actually I didn't. But seen as you suggested it...yeah. Like on a date." He said. Allison mentally hit herself in the head.  
  
"Well, I don't want to date you at the moment Sirius." She said, removing his arm from her shoulders. Sirius shrugged, obviously not at all offended by her honesty.  
  
"Ok then. How about as friends slash potential couple?" he asked, smiling a charming smile at her. Allison snorted and shook her head.  
  
"I think about it." She said. Sirius chuckled and put his hands in his pockets.  
  
"Great!" he said enthusiastically. "Although I do admire your self control. Most girls would have screamed 'YES' by now." He said, smirking. Allison chuckled and rolled her eyes.  
  
"You're so big headed." She said, whacking him playfully in the arm.  
  
"Argh." Sirius hissed, grabbing his arm. Allison was quite startled.  
  
"OK, I didn't hit you THAT hard." She said, raising an eyebrow. Sirius looked at her, still clutching his arm.  
  
"No, its not that." He said. Allison looked at his arm suspiciously.  
  
"Did you hurt yourself?" she asked, concerned. Sirius backed off a bit.  
  
"No. I mean yeah. I mean...its nothing." He finished lamely. Allison reached for his arm.  
  
"What happened?" she asked.  
  
"Its nothing!" Sirius snapped suddenly. Allison stepped back slightly in surprise at Sirius's harsh tone. As soon as he realized what he had said, Sirius sighed.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap." He said, letting go of his arm. Allison nodded slowly.  
  
"That's ok. I didn't mean to pry. I was just worried is all." She said. Sirius looked at her for a moment, before smirking.  
  
"Worried? About me?" he asked in a suggestive tone, his usual humor back. Allison rolled her eyes and began to walk off again. Sirius began walking and caught up with her in no time.  
  
"Could Miss Jessup possibly be developing mushy, wonderful feelings for the evil Ikle Marauder?" he said in a condescending voice. Allison was trying not to smile.  
  
"Bugger off Sirius." she said. Sirius stopped walking, sighed and watched her walk off again.  
  
"I'll see you later then my Love!" he called.  
  
He didn't see Allison smile.  
  
*********************************  
  
Two weeks later, the Marauders were sitting together at a small table, listening to the finer points of Divination.  
  
"Now, I would once again like to visit our Dream Books. I know many of you feel it is a waste of time...but it IS on the curriculum." Professor Fortuna said, sitting down at the head of the class. The students moaned, but did as they were told.  
  
"Man this is getting old. Moony, maybe you can enlighten us as to why we are still in Divination." James said, dropping his head on the table with a THUMP. Remus chuckled.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure it IS terribly boring since Lillian Evans dropped out." He said, smirking at James. James lifted his head and glared mockingly at Remus.  
  
"Watch your tongue Moony. Get our book out." He said, whacking Remus playfully over the back of the head. Peter laughed as Remus and James continued to shove each-other.  
  
"Come now! We mustn't have out humble Prefect and Head Boy setting a bad example." Sirius said in a mock-posh tone. James rolled his eyes and punched Sirius playfully.  
  
"Shut up and tell me what you've been dreaming about." He asked, adjusting his glasses and opening his book to the appropriate page. Sirius chuckled and snatched Remus's from in front of him.  
  
"Prongs, you do not want to KNOW what, or should I say WHO I've been dreaming about." He said in a dreamy sort of voice. Peter snorted and Remus screwed up his face.  
  
"No Padfoot. We don't want to hear your sexual fantasies." He said. Sirius looked hurt.  
  
"But Moony, that wasn't what you were saying last night." He said in a girly voice. James laughed and Remus snatched his book of Sirius.  
  
"Shut up. Prongs, what have you been dreaming about?" he asked. James sobered quickly.  
  
"Er, you don't want to know." He said, looking out into the room. Peter laughed.  
  
"Let me guess. Lily?" he asked. James shook his head.  
  
"No. I wish." He said. The three boys went serious as they realized James must have been dreaming something pretty bad.  
  
"Really James. What have you been dreaming about?" Remus asked. James hesitated for a moment, looking at each of his friends in turn before sighing in defeat.  
  
"Voldemort." He said. Sirius went to comment, when there was a girly squeal from the next table.  
  
"You said His name!" one of the girls whispered harshly, turning in her seat to look at James. Remus rolled his eyes as Sirius turned to face her, frowning.  
  
"So? It's only a name. Why should we be afraid to say it? Dumbeldore says it." He retorted irritably. The girl's friend turned around as well.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore is a great Wizard, and therefore has the power to say you-know-who's name." She whispered.  
  
"Its attitudes like that that make people scared." Remus said. "Professor Dumbledore has been trying to get us all to speak his name, and I think we should. If we don't listen to Dumbledore, then who WILL we listen to?" he asked. The girl sighed and turned back around, obviously not having a comeback. But her friend still glared at the four boys.  
  
"You four think you're so big, don't you? Saying the Dark Lord name doesn't make any ounce of difference." She whispered. James frowned.  
  
"Oh yeah?' he challenged, and leant forward to talk into her ear. 'Voldemort." He whispered. She girl jumped out of her seat and looked at James with horror.  
  
"Shut Up Potter!" she yelled.  
  
"Now really, what is all this? Miss Reed, what IS going on?" asked Professor Fortuna, coming over. The girl looked up at her teacher, and then back down at James, who had a defiant expression on his face. She pointed an accusing finger at him.  
  
"He...he said...' she shook her head, obviously too distressed to continue. Professor Fortuna looked down at the 4 boys.  
  
"What did you say?" she asked looking at the four boys in turn. James shrugged.  
  
"All I said was Voldemort." He said casually. Everyone in the room flinched, except for Sirius and Remus.  
  
"Potter! You know better than to speak You-know-who's name." The Professor snapped. James rolled his eyes.  
  
"Is there an echo in here? Really." Sirius said irritably. The Professor either did not hear him, or chose to ignore it as she gave James one final warning look before turning on her heel.  
  
"Back to work all of you. And no talking except to those at your table!" she snapped. The Marauders rolled their eyes and turned back to each other.  
  
"So, what ARE the dreams James?" Remus whispered. The other three boys leant in so they would not be heard.  
  
"Its...weird.' He said, his face stiff with concentration. 'It's like...he's there. I can see him. Death Eaters and all. Its like, a war going on.' He said, wracking his brain for the images. Sirius scratched his nose thoughtfully.  
  
"Maybe it's not just dreams Prongs. I mean, are they clear? Are the images clear?" he asked. James thought for a moment, before nodding.  
  
"Yeah. Actually they are." He said. Peter shifted in his chair and laughed nervously.  
  
"Sirius, you don't actually think James had visions or anything do you?" he asked, still chuckling nervously. Remus frowned as he watched Peter fidget.  
  
"Well, why not? That's why we're here isn't it? And if they are, it might be a good tool to stop Voldemort." He whispered. Peter jumped and Remus sighed.  
  
"Oh really Peter, not you too?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. Peter looked at the table in shame.  
  
"Look, what-ever it is, we should keep it to us for now. It's nothing major yet, and until it is, I don't want to cause unnecessary panic." James said, adjusting his glasses. The four boys nodded thoughtfully.  
  
They sat in silence for a split second, before Remus shivered and turned to Peter.  
  
"So Wormtail, what have YOU been dreaming about?"  
  
*************  
  
"You did WHAT?" Lily demanded, standing up and looking down at James in horror.  
  
"Lily, SHH. Sit down!" he whispered, looking around the library. Madam Pince was giving Lily a disapproving look. Lily sighed and sat back down.  
  
"You did what?" she whispered again. James sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"Look, out conversation wasn't meant to be heard by everyone. Here I was talking to Remus, and Melissa Reed starts squealing. Honestly, you girls and your eavesdropping...' He said irritably.  
  
"That's not the point. You've been warned not to say His name around other people." She whispered harshly. James rolled his eyes.  
  
"But you're like us. You say Vol....'  
  
"SHH! James, really." She whispered, waving her hands to shut him up. She looked around the room for a moment, before turning back to him. "Yes, I do say it. And I believe everyone should. But a lot of people don't share that view, and you have to be considerate of that. Even McGonagall doesn't say his name." She said. James sighed.  
  
"Ok. I'm sorry. It just...gets me so mad." He said, balling his hand into a fist to emphasize his point. Lily nodded and took his fist in her hand, making him relax immediately.  
  
"I know. I feel the same. But the time will come when he will be stopped." She said. James watched her for a moment.  
  
"You think we can help?" he asked. Lily looked at him, and for a split second, she saw vulnerability in his that she was sure no one had seen before. She smiled.  
  
"Yeah. Of course we will. I think we'll have a big part to play." She said, stroking his face. James smiled and kissed her hand.  
  
"Good." He said simply. Lily chuckled softly and turned back to her book. James watched her for a moment, before looking over her shoulder.  
  
"Oh Charms! Good, you can help me!" he whispered happily, reaching into his bag. Lily rolled her eyes and smiled, thoughts of Voldemort and everything else driven completely from her mind.  
  
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*Hey there! Ok, so how was that? Any feedback would be great!  
  
By the way, I know the Professor's name was lame, but I had a mind blank and couldn't think of anything else.  
  
Please review! 


	11. Chapter 11

*Chapter 11! Honestly, I've gotta say that I was so nervous staring to write this, as I didn't think I could pull Sirius's personality off. But...obviously I haven't ruined it. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing guys!  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
"Severus! Hey wait!'  
  
Snape rolled his eyes, clutched his books tighter and continued walking. He was trying desperately to ignore his name being called, but unfortunately, she caught him.  
  
"Oh honestly Severus. I need to talk to you!" Lily said, stepping in front of him and putting her hands on her hips. Snape sighed.  
  
"Fine. What do you want to say that is so bloody important Evans?" he asked in a bored tone. Lily glared at him.  
  
"Firstly, I wouldn't be talking to you if I didn't have to. And secondly, its not me who wants to see you." She said irritably. Snape sighed.  
  
"Who is it then?" he asked, not looking at her. Lily gritted her teeth in annoyance.  
  
"Professor Shachter. She wants to see you." She said irritably, as if she would rather have spent two hours locked in a room with her sister than talk to Snape. He rolled her eyes and nodded.  
  
"Very well. I shall do that." He said simply, and began walking off. Lily frowned.  
  
"Well...don't thank me or anything!" she yelled after him. He didn't respond. He only kept walking. Lily threw her hands up in frustration and for some reason unknown to her, followed him.  
  
"You know, it wouldn't kill you to be nice to people once in a while." She said, catching up with him. Snape ignored her and continued walking. But Lily was persistent. "Why are you mean to people anyway?" she asked.  
  
"You mean, why am I so mean to you're little Potty and his minions?" he drawled. Lily frowned and stepped in front of him again.  
  
"No, not just them. Everyone. I don't get it. You've been that way since day one." She said. Snape sighed and looked at her hard, his dark eyes boring into her emerald green ones.  
  
"My reasons for not wanting to converse with Gryffindors or anyone else are none of your business." He said flatly. Lily looked up at him, trying to suss him out. He was very mysterious, and Lily loved the challenge. "Why the sudden interest anyway Evans?" he said, walking around her and not waiting for an answer.  
  
"Because, I've only ever tried to be nice to you, and you always throw it back in my face. It's like...you don't want any friends." She said, catching up to him again. Snape rolled his eyes.  
  
"Aren't you forgetting the ancient tradition of Slytherin against Gryffindor? Why try to fight tradition?" he asked. Lily stepped in front of him again.  
  
"Because its stupid! I mean, I really don't see why we can't at least be...civil to each other. Even you and the Marauders could...'  
  
"I will never be civil to those idiots." Snape said firmly, cutting Lily off. She frowned at him for a second, before Snape sighed impatiently.  
  
"Now, if you will excuse me, I have a Professor to see. Good day Evans." He said stiffly, and walked around her again.  
  
Lily put her hands on her hips and watched him stride off, his robes billowing out behind him. She had many times tried to make herself hate Snape as James did, but time after time found that she simply couldn't. Whether or not she had a soft spot for the withdrawn Slytherin, she didn't know. But she knew that something in his past must have happened to make him this way. No one was born evil.  
  
Lily gave the hallway one last look, before turning around and going on her way.  
  
****  
  
"Come On Lily!" James whined, fidgeting like he was a 5-year-old waiting to go to the zoo.  
  
"Alright James! Beauty hurries for no-one you know." She called. James frowned.  
  
"Well it bloody well should!" he called back. James heard Lily laugh and then there was silence again.  
  
James was once again standing outside Lily's room, waiting for her to get ready so the two of them could walk down to the kitchens together to get a late-night snack.  
  
James looked up at the Unicorn. It was giving another of its horrible, reproachable looks. James smiled warmly up at it, but it snorted at him and stormed off. James raised an eyebrow and went to look for it, when the empty portrait swung forward and Lily walked out.  
  
"Hey, sorry I took so...' she stopped as she spotted the confused look on James's face. "What's the matter?" she laughed. James looked at the portrait for a moment, before shaking himself and looking down at Lily.  
  
"You're unicorn doesn't like me." He said, as if the fact was a great disappointment. Lily merely chuckled and slipped her arm through his.  
  
"Of course she doesn't. Unicorns aren't too fussed about boys remember?" she asked, leading James down the hall. A dopey expression crossed over James's face.  
  
"Oh yeah. I remember Kettleburn saying something about that." He said, reminiscing. Lily snorted at his childishness.  
  
"How on earth do you learn anything when you don't listen in class?" she asked. James smiled.  
  
"Trial and error." He said. Lily laughed.  
  
"Just make sure that trial and error trick doesn't get you killed one day, ok?" She said. James waved a hand dismissively.  
  
"Me? Killed? I highly doubt it." He said, puffing out his chest. Lily snorted and whacked his chest with the back of her hand, making him deflate with a grunt. James poked Lily in the side, making her squeal. He knew her ticklish spots. Lily shoved him and he fell sideways into a suit of armor. It grunted at him disapprovingly, but he ignored it as he was staring at Lily with mock horror. She was clutching her side and laughing hard.  
  
"You'd better run Evans!" he yelled playfully, as Lily sprinted off down the hallway.  
  
**  
  
"Can we have, a Butterbeer and two chocolate frogs...and two chicken and mayo sandwiches, and...'  
  
"That's enough James. Gees." Lily chuckled. "If that's alright?" she asked, looking down at the house-elves.  
  
"Of course miss and sir. Right away." One squeaked and they all ran off in different directions.  
  
The two of them were sitting at one of the small tables in the corner of the kitchens. As soon as James had walked in, the house elves had all practically wet themselves in excitement. James was no stranger to the kitchens, and had apparently been made a bit famous. James sighed dramatically and reclined in his chair.  
  
"I tell you, I will be getting me few house elves when I get my own place. They're bloody useful." he said, looking around in admiration. Lily smiled.  
  
"I'm sure you will. With your amount of money, you'd have no problem affording a few." She said, smirking. James smiled.  
  
"And you will have as many servants as you wish. You will not lift a finger, or touch any dishwater for as long as you live!" James said, sitting up properly again. Lily looked at him.  
  
"What?" she asked. James's smile faltered.  
  
"What? You don't want servants?" he asked. Lily shook her head.  
  
"No. That's not...what do you mean by that?" she asked. James was slightly taken aback. "Are you implying that we're moving in together?" she asked.  
  
"Well, I just...I thought you would want to." He said bashfully. Lily was shocked.  
  
"But, I thought you and Sirius were going to share a place." She said.  
  
"Well, we were. But then Sirius stepped back for you." He said. Lily was gob-smacked.  
  
"But then...where's he going to live?" she asked in disbelief.  
  
"With Remus. They discussed it and its all planned." He said. He smiled for a second, but it faded as quickly as it had appeared. "Are you saying...you don't want to live with me after school?" he asked.  
  
Lily sat there in stunned silence. Sirius had done that, so that James and Lily could be together. James and Sirius had been planning to live together ever since they were second years, and they had always been looking forward to it with great intensity. James shifted slightly.  
  
"This is the part where you're mean to say 'Oh yes James, I WILL move in with you'." He said, putting on an impression Lily's voice. Lily shook herself from her daze.  
  
"Oh. No, James I'm sorry, I was just...kinda shocked. I mean, you've been wanting to live with Sirius for years!" she said. James nodded. "Are you upset about him changing his mind?" she asked. James sighed.  
  
"Well, I was at the start. But then he explained his reasons for pulling out, and I was fine with it. I mean, it's not a bad thing, getting to live with you." He said, smiling. Lily smiled and looked at the table. "But, you don't want to do you?" he said, hurt evident in his voice. It wasn't a question. Lily's head snapped up.  
  
"What? No, I didn't say that." She said. James let a slight sigh of relief.  
  
"Well, I actually wasn't going to ask you for another few weeks, until I was sure of a few details, but Lily Paige Evans...' he said, smiling and taking her hand. "Will you move in with me after we leave Hogwarts?' he asked, smiling a charming smile. Lily, although smiling, was hesitant.  
  
"But, where...'  
  
"I've already got a place lined up. Its great, you'd love it." He said. Lily sighed.  
  
"I don't have much money. I probably wouldn't be able to pay for much until I got a job." She said. James simply smiled.  
  
"That's not a problem. I'll pay for everything." He said. "I want to take care of you." He said. Lily frowned. She wanted to tell him that she didn't NEED him to take care of her, as she was quite capable of doing so herself. But she bit her tongue.  
  
"I'd feel bad. I mean, I can't expect you to pay for EVERYTHING." She said. James frowned slightly.  
  
"Why not? I mean, if maybe one day...we end up married...we'll be in equal share of everything anyway." He said. Lily was once again startled. They had never really talked about their future together. "So, what do you say?" he asked, biting his lip with anticipation. Lily considered him for a moment, before smiling.  
  
"Yes. Of course I will." She said. James's smiled widely.  
  
"Great!" he said, leaning over the table to kiss her. "This is going to be awesome!" he said. Lily smiled as the house-elves placed their food in front of them.  
  
"Thanks guys. This looks great." Lily said, looking at her food. The house elves all smiled and bowed low to the ground. As they scurried away, James rubbed his hands together.  
  
"Well, my day just took a definite upturn. I have a chicken and mayo sandwich, chocolate frogs and my girlfriend just said she'd move in with me." He said, smiling at Lily. Lily chuckled and opened her bottle of Butterbeer.  
  
"A toast." She said, holding her bottle up. 'To us." She said. James smiled, picked his bottle up and tapped the neck of it against hers.  
  
"To us." He said, taking a sip. "May you make me house broken so future generations will not be disgusted by my manners." He said. Lily laughed and took a sip of her own.  
  
"Well, we can dream." She said. James threw his crust at her, and they began eating.  
  
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*Well, just a casual chapter this time, and not really that long. Hopefully it wasn't too boring.  
  
Please review! 


	12. Chapter 12

*Chapter 12! Yay. Thanks for your input and reviews guys. You all rock!  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
"Wormtail, are you stalking me or something?" Sirius said irritably, looking over the head of students that were quickly filling up the entrance hall. Peter shook his head.  
  
"No. I just thought we were waiting for Remus together." He said, looking around also. Sirius smacked his forehead and sighed.  
  
"Peter, I'm waiting for Allison. Ergo, you have to GO!" he said, shoving Peter slightly. Peter shrugged.  
  
"Ok, I get the point. I'll see you in the village Padfoot." He called, walking off. Sirius watched Peter go and shook his head. He still didn't understand how Peter had become so accepted in the group. Not that Sirius didn't like Peter, as he did. It just baffled him sometimes, as the three of them were so different from Peter.  
  
"Hey. Waiting for someone?" came a female voice. Sirius looked around to see Allison standing next to him, looking at him with amusement. Sirius drove all thoughts of Peter immediately from his mind and smiled down at Allison.  
  
"Actually I was, but she can wait. You're here now." He joked. Allison snorted and shook her head. "Shall we?" he asked, holding out his arm. Allison rolled her eyes, smiled but linked her arm with his never the less.  
  
The two teens walked out into the cold grounds together, squinting at the sunlight that blinded them as soon as they stepped out into it. They walked down the path in silence, but Sirius kept stealing glances at the girl on his arm. She looked very pretty, although she had a large jacket on to protect her from the cold.  
  
"You look nice today." He said. Allison looked up at him and smiled.  
  
"Thank you. So do you. Where'd you get this?" she asked, tugging on the sleeve of his leather jacket. Sirius smirked.  
  
"Apparently they come from cows, but I don't like to think that." He said smirking. Allison snorted and looked back in front of her. Sirius looked at her again. He liked making her laugh. Her whole face would light up with pure joy that was rare in these dark times of fear.  
  
The two of them arrived in Hogsmeade a while later, the rest of the school fanning out in different directions. Sirius and Allison stood in the center of the village, different paths leading off in different directions. The possibilities were endless.  
  
"So, where do you want to go?" he asked, putting his hands in his pockets, turning on the spot and looking down each of the paths in turn. Allison shrugged.  
  
"I'm not fussed. Anywhere fine, except the Hogs Head." She said, cringing. Sirius laughed and nodded.  
  
"Alright then. How about Zonko's?" he asked, looking at her with a childlike excitement. Allison laughed and nodded.  
  
"Honestly, don't you think you're a bit OLD to be going in there?" she asked, but let herself be led over to the shop anyway. Sirius looked at her with horror.  
  
"Too old? Ha! Never." He said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the shop. Alison laughed as Sirius led her over to his favorite items and showed her with enthusiasm what each of them did.  
  
They must have spent a good 20 minutes in Zonko's, before Sirius finally spotted Allison's boredom and the decided to leave and get something to eat.  
  
"So my friend slash potential partner, what would you like? Butterbeer?" he asked, as they found a table near the back. Allison took her coat off and nodded.  
  
"Sure, ok." She said, and went into her pocket to get her purse out. But Sirius grabbed her arm and smiled.  
  
"No, my shout." He said. Allison went to protest, but Sirius had already walked off. She sighed and sat down.  
  
A minute later, Sirius stumbled up to the table carrying two bottles of Butterbeer. He put one in front of Allison and sat back down heavily in his chair. He looked back over at the bar filled with pushy Hogwarts students with both awe and amazement.  
  
"Far out. Those third years are nuts! I mean, so much enthusiasm over a Butterbeer!" he said, shaking his head and taking the cap off his bottle. Allison laughed.  
  
"This coming from a guy who just spent 10 minutes explaining the first time he used dung bombs on the Slytherin Quidditch team." She said.  
  
"Hey! That was a good story." He said, pointing a finger at her and smirking. Allison rolled her eyes and smiled.  
  
"So, I don't think I know your full heritage. Are you muggle-born?" Sirius asked, taking a sip of his drink. Allison shook her head.  
  
"No. My dad's a wizard, but my mums a muggle." She said. Sirius nodded.  
  
"Was she a bit freaked out by it all?" he asked. Allison chuckled.  
  
"Yeah. I mean, she was when Dad told her, but she was alright by the time I came along. She loves him too much for something like magic to come between them." She said. Sirius frowned slightly.  
  
"You make magic sound like a bad thing." He said. Allison shook her head.  
  
"I don't mean to. But some muggles that are married to wizards or witches feel a bit...left out. A bit excluded. It's a world they can never fully enter and be a part of, and it's hard on them. Like my mum for instance, she couldn't come onto Platform 9 ¾ on my first day to say good-bye to me." She said. Sirius noted the sadness in her voice at the memory.  
  
"But, she can do everything else with you." He said. Allison nodded and smiled.  
  
"Yeah. We're still really close." She said. Sirius nodded and looked at the floor. Allison tilted her head slightly to get a better look at his face. "You've had it bad. Haven't you? With your family and all." she said. It wasn't a question. Sirius looked up at her and surprisingly chuckled.  
  
"Are you kidding? I've got the bestest friends anyone could ever dream of having, I got 11 O.W.L.'s two years ago and I'm sitting with one of the most beautiful girls I've ever met." He said, running a hand through his hair. Allison blushed.  
  
"I know you don't mean that." She said, chuckling nervously. Sirius frowned slightly again.  
  
"Why? Its true." He said. Allison shook her head. Sirius couldn't believe this. Didn't she know? He decided not to push her and took a different angle.  
  
"Can I take this opportunity to apologize for my stalkish-like behavior these past three years." He said, taking a sip of his drink. Allison laughed.  
  
"You definitely can.' She said. 'And I'm sorry I was so bitchy to you. But you really were rather annoying." She said, smirking. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"Really? That was just my way of saying I liked you." He said simply. Allison looked at him for a moment.  
  
"You...you really LIKE me?" she asked. Sirius was shocked. He couldn't have made it any clearer.  
  
"Yes! I haven't been trying to deliberately annoy you. I've been trying to say I like you." He said in a disbelieving tone. Allison nodded and blushed.  
  
"Oh. Ok then." She said, looking at the floor.  
  
Sirius didn't know what to make of this. Just about everyone in the school knew he was head over heals for this girl, except her! It just didn't make any sense. Sirius watched her for a moment. She seemed to be avoiding looking at him. He sighed and looked out the window. He smiled, getting an idea.  
  
"Come on. Lets go sit outside." He said, standing up and holding out his hand to her. Allison looked at his outstretched hand for a second, before smiling and taking it. Sirius smiled and led her out of the Three Broomsticks out into the village.  
  
***  
  
"Did Moony tell you he nearly got his light's knocked out?" James chuckled. Lily looked up at him in horror.  
  
"He what? When?" she asked, slightly hysterically. James laughed.  
  
"When we were at the club. Some guy nearly smacked him down because his girlfriend was all over him. This guy was a good deal older than him too. Must have been about 7 years older." He said. Lily was shocked at his casual attitude to his best friend almost being assaulted.  
  
"Oh my god. Who was this guy?" she asked. James shrugged.  
  
"I dunno, some guy called Granger. I didn't get his first name." He said. Lily let out a laugh of disbelief, as she relaxed again.  
  
James and Lily were sitting underneath the large tree that lay a few meters from the Shrieking Shack. Many people who were walking past were looking at them with both admiration and shock, as no one was game to go near the house. James was leaning against it, his legs crossed and Lily was lying down on the ground, her head in his lap and her hair splayed around her.  
  
"So, where is this place we're going to be living in?" she asked, undoing his shoelaces. James chuckled.  
  
"Well, there are a few options. It all depends on whether or not you want to live as a muggle completely or not." He said. Lily looked up at him.  
  
"Well, what do you want?" she asked. James leant his head against the tree trunk and thought for a moment.  
  
"I don't know. I mean, I've lived completely as a wizard for most of my life, so I guess living like a muggle wouldn't be so bad. I mean, that thing called T.V, that looks pretty good." He said, smiling. Lily laughed softly.  
  
"Yeah, it is. "she said. James smiled down at her and began twirling a few strands of her long, fiery hair between his fingers.  
  
"Hey. Mind if I join you?" came male voice. James and Lily looked up and smiled.  
  
"Of course Moony." James said, indicating to a patch of grass next to Lily. Remus smiled and said down, reclining backwards and leaning of his hands.  
  
"Thinking of next month?" Lily asked as she spotted Remus looking at the Shrieking Shack. He smiled and turned to her.  
  
"No. Just hoping I don't have to spend the rest of my life in there." He said. Lily nodded understandingly and James chuckled.  
  
"No way Moony. They'll find a cure for Lycanthropy soon enough." He said in a low voice, so no-one else could hear. Remus nodded, although he looked doubtful.  
  
"Where's Peter?" Lily asked, changing the subject and looking around. Remus shrugged.  
  
"Don't know. I haven't seen him since this morning. He said he had stuff to do." He said. James frowned.  
  
"He's been doing that a lot lately. What do you think he's been doing?" James asked. Remus smirked.  
  
"Maybe he's finally found a girl, lucky bastard." Remus said, sitting up properly. James laughed.  
  
"Can you imagine? Peter with a girl? That's hilarious." He said. Remus laughed and Lily hit them both in the leg.  
  
"Well, no wonder he hasn't told you if you're going to tease him like that. I say good for him if he has a girlfriend." She said defiantly, but she was smiling. Remus and James exchanged looks of amusement.  
  
"Yeah, ok." James said, ending the subject of Peter's love life. He looked at his watch, and then up at the sun. "Can you believe how fast this day's gone? Its crazy the way time flies. It flies faster than I do." He said. Remus laughed and Lily groaned.  
  
"Oh, do we HAVE to go?" she pleaded, grabbing James's leg in protest. James laughed and Remus held his hand out for Lily. She sighed, reluctantly let go of James and took his hand, letting him help her up. "I don't want to go back." She said in a childish tone. James chuckled and got up.  
  
"Alright then. You can stay here." He said over his shoulder, and began walking down the hill. Lily's eyes widened.  
  
"No! I'm coming!" she called. She ran after him and threw herself on his back. James laughed as Lily wrapped her legs around his waist and put her hands on his shoulders.  
  
"Coming Moony?" James said. Remus walked casually up to them with his hands in his pockets and smiled.  
  
"Yep. Lets go find Sirius and Allison. We can interrupt their date." He said. James laughed and they walked down the hill in search of their friends.  
  
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*Yes, another short and slightly meaningless chapter. But I had fun writing it, and that's usually mostly all that matters. Lol.  
  
Please review! 


	13. Chapter 13

*Welcome ladies and gentleman to chapter 13! Yay! Ahem, anyways, thanks for reviewing so far. You continue to motivate me!  
  
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The next morning, the 6 Gryffindors were sitting down to breakfast, passing general conversation around to each member of the group.  
  
"Prongs, pass me that jug will you?" Sirius asked, chewing on his bacon.  
  
"No problem." James said happily, reaching over for the jug of pumpkin juice. He picked it up gingerly and passes it to Sirius.  
  
Lily watched the two boys talk to each other in a way that could only be described as brotherhood. James, who was an only child, had never really had any experience with brotherly love until he had met Sirius and Remus. And Sirius, even though he DID have a brother, was deprived of the bond all the same.  
  
Lily sighed, knowing that if one of them ever lost the other, they would be devastated and probably would never get over it.  
  
"Hey. Mail's here." Allison said. Lily jumped slightly and came back to reality at the sound of rustling wings and hoots filling the Great hall.  
  
"Good. I've been expecting my letter from Mum and Dad." Lily said smiling, putting her fork down ready for her owl Eve to drop her mail off.  
  
Sure enough, her large Barn owl landed in front of her seconds later and stuck its leg out.  
  
"Thanks girl" Lily said, untying the letter. She gave Eve a small piece of toast and she hooted in thanks and flew off again. Lily opened her letter and as she had predicted, it was from her parents. Before she proceeded to read it, she looked around the table.  
  
James was currently untying his letter from his Eagle owl, Jasper, Sirius was opening a copy of the Daily Prophet, Allison was looking at the treats Peter had been sent from his mother and Remus was looking at the paper Sirius was reading.  
  
Lily got as far as 'Dear Lily,' on her letter, when she heard Sirius cough into his goblet. She looked up with concern as James patted Sirius on the back.  
  
"You alright? Breathe mate." He said, rubbing Sirius's back. Sirius stopped coughing and slapped James's arm away irritably and shoved the paper at him.  
  
"Look! Read that!" he demanded, pointing at something on the front page. James took it and began reading. Lily watched as James's expression changed from horror to disgust and finally to anger. He growled and slammed his fist on the table.  
  
"What? What is it?" Allison asked. James passed the paper to her without saying a word and Lily and Peter leant in to read it.  
  
" HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED WREAKS HAVOK IN LONDON.  
  
Possibly the most feared wizard of our time, has once again caused a panic and riot in the streets of London. Auror's were called to the scene last night as the Dark Mark (You-know-who's sign) was spotted floating above a suburban residence late last night by Muggles.  
  
"We had to work quickly and efficiently to not only cover up the scene, but to collect anything that may be useful for the future before the Muggle enforcements arrived." Says Kingsley Shacklebolt, Auror.  
  
Once Auror's arrived at the scene and entered what was left of the residence, they found a family of four decapitated and their heads hanging near the ceiling with a Hovering Charm. The family consisted of two young children between the ages of 5 and 10.  
  
The motivation for this horrendous attack is not yet known, but we as the community can only hope that the Dark forces at work here can be stopped as soon as possible."  
  
Lily looked up at James in horror, a single tear escaping her eye.  
  
"My god." Allison whispered. "That poor family. Those children..." she said, putting her head in her hands. They say there in silence for a moment, before everybody jumped as James slammed his fist on the table.  
  
"DAMN HIM!" he bellowed. Everyone in the hall looked up at him, surprised by this sudden outburst.  
  
"James, sit down." Lily said.  
  
"No! Doesn't this piss you off? Any of you?" he asked, looking at Lily first, and then around at the rest of the hall, knowing he had their attention. When no one said anything, he went on. "This is exactly the reason we need to be more active, and not be afraid to say the name VOLDEMORT!" he said, bellowing the last bit angrily. Many people let out screams of horror.  
  
"Mr. Potter, that's enough. My Office. Now!" McGonagall snapped, getting out of her seat. James glared at her for a moment, before grabbing his bag, swinging it angrily over his shoulder and storming out of the Great Hall. Sirius waited a moment, before following. Remus grabbed his bag and followed also, followed by Peter, Lily and Allison.  
  
They didn't care where they were going, just that where-ever it was...they were in it together.  
  
*** James looked at his Head of House from the other side of her desk. She was looking at him with both disappointment, but also a hint of pride. James however, was too irritated to care what she or anyone else thought of him. He slouched even further into the chair with his arms folded over his chest. This was what was described as his 'Stubborn Position'.  
  
"Now really. What did you think you were doing?" McGonagall said in a tired tone, pinching the bridge of her nose. James shrugged.  
  
"I just...blew up. I'm sorry Professor. It just angers me. Another innocent family is dead, and...'  
  
"Now honestly. You can't be feeling as though YOU could have stopped it." She said.  
  
"Well, someone SHOULD have stopped it." He snapped, sitting up straighter. McGonagall frowned.  
  
"Mr. Potter, will you PLEASE control your temper?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. James sighed and sank back into the chair.  
  
"I'm sorry. Its just...' James didn't get to finish, as Professor Dumbeldore walked in, his face wearing a foreign expression to James.  
  
"James, may I have a moment to speak to Professor McGonagall in private?" he asked, kindly. James sighed and nodded.  
  
"Sure." He said, getting out of his chair. He picked up his bag off the floor, swung it over his shoulder and left the office without a backwards glance.  
  
As James was about to make his way down the hall, he was jolted out of his pensive mood by Sirius grabbing his upper arms and looking at his with intensity.  
  
"So, what happened? Did you get in trouble?" he asked in earnest. James shook his head and looked over Sirius's shoulder to find his other friends standing there, looking slightly worried.  
  
"No. I wasn't in there long enough. Dumbledore told me to leave." He said, adjusting his bag on his shoulder.  
  
"Well good. Why should you get in trouble?" Lily said indignantly, stepping forward. James smiled down at her in thanks for her support.  
  
"Lily's right Prongs. I mean, you can't get suspended for getting angry." Remus said as if the whole idea was stupid. James nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I know."  
  
"Plus,' said Sirius smirking, 'they cant very well suspend their Head Boy now can they?" he said, clapping James on the back. James smiled, thankful for Sirius's reliable humor in a serious situation.  
  
"Are you allowed to go?" Allison asked. James shrugged and looked back at the door he had just come out of.  
  
"I guess so." He said, turning back to the group.  
  
"Well, come on then. Lets get to Defense." Sirius said, grabbing James's arm and dragging him off down the hallway.  
  
**  
  
"Albus, I'm really not sure about this." Professor McGonagall said, pinching the bridge of her nose once again. The feelings of a migrane coming on were strong.  
  
"I see no reason not to. If only to put the offer out there. They are so eager to help." The old man said, his hands crossed under his chin. "Not to mention they are very much able to handle the responsibilities." He said. McGonagall turned in her chair to look the Headmaster in the eye.  
  
"Surely you cant actually mean ALL of them?" she pressed. Dumbledore shook his head.  
  
"No, not all of them. The ones I leave out, I do so for their protection." He said. McGonagall smiled.  
  
"I suppose I cannot stop you, even if I wanted to." She said. Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"How very true. But I do respect you opinion, which is why I am here." He said, his eyes twinkling. McGonagall sighed.  
  
"When do you plan to do this?" she asked. Dumbledore shifted in his seat.  
  
"As soon as possible. The news in the paper this morning shows that time is something we no longer have a lot of." He said grimly. McGonagall nodded.  
  
"It's a shame we must put them at risk. They're so young." She said grimly. Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"Yes, but as we have said before, it is their choice." He said. McGonagall nodded and sighed.  
  
"Hopefully these dark times will soon be behind us." She said. Dumbledore nodded and stood up.  
  
"We can only hope Minerva." He said. He bowed his head respectfully and left the office moments later, leaving Professor McGonagall alone with her thoughts.  
  
****  
  
"Hey Prongs...are you alright?" Sirius asked, flying over to James. James nodded slowly, but did not take his eyes off the setting sun.  
  
The two boys had decided to go for a fly to let off the steam that remained from that morning. Usually when James got up in the air, all his troubles were forgotten. But this time it appeared to be different. He just could not get his mind off the current issues and severe dangers their world and everyone in it was facing.  
  
"Yeah, just thinking." He said. Sirius nodded and turned around to look at the sunset. It was casting an eerie, red glow across the trees of the Forbidden Forest. It was as if the sky was giving out a Ceremony of passing, in honor of the blood that had been spilled the night before.  
  
Sirius shivered and turned back to face James, but found he wasn't there. He looked around and spotted James on the other side of the pitch, sitting on the roof of the stadium with his broom at his side. Sirius turned his broom around and flew off over to him.  
  
"Are you sure you're ok?" Sirius asked, climbing off his broom and onto the roof next to his best friend. James brought his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on his knees as Sirius sat down next to him.  
  
"Its just...I cant seem to wrap my head around it." He said quietly. Sirius crossed his legs and nodded, already knowing what James was referring to. "Its all so senseless Sirius. Such a waste." He said sadly.  
  
"Nine times out of ten, death IS senseless. Not many people now aday's die for a noble cause." He said. James nodded, but did not look at his best friend. Instead, he continued to look out at the slowly setting sun.  
  
The two boys sat in silence for a moment, before Sirius looked at his friend at the sound of sniffing. Sirius was surprised to find James was crying softly, a single tear rolling down his cheek.  
  
"Hey, James...' Sirius said, patting James on the back. He was at a lost for words. In all the years Voldemort had been gaining power and destroying lives, James had never gotten so emotional over it. "Mate...its alright." He said softly. James sniffed again and shook his head.  
  
"No, its not. How many more lives is it going to take?' he said, his voice shaking. 'I mean, your family could be next. Or mine." He said. Sirius sighed and made a face of reluctance.  
  
"Um James, not to put a damper on this, but my family is pure-blood. So is yours." He said carefully. James shook his head.  
  
"I mean OUR families. Here and now. Remus is only half-blood, and Lily...' he trailed off, another tear rolling down his cheek. "Sometimes I just want to run away with her, so I can keep her safe. But then, other times I just want to run at that bastard and kill him with my bare hands." He said, his hands balling into fists. Sirius nodded, knowing at least on some level how James was feeling.  
  
"He will be stopped James. Don't worry. Lily's going to be ok." He said, patting James on the back. James put his finger under his glasses and wiped his eyes.  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, I know." He said, nodding. Sirius smiled, although he knew that James was still very doubtful.  
  
"Look, we have to be optimistic. The day we loose hope, is the day we loose everything." Sirius said wisely. James smiled and turned to Sirius, looking at him for the first time since they had sat down.  
  
"You know what, you're absolutely right." He said, clapping Sirius on the arm. Sirius smirked.  
  
"Of course I am." He said. James chuckled as Sirius stretched and stood up skillfully and balanced with the grace of a cat. "Shall we return to our humble abode?" he asked in a posh tone, picking up his broom. James chuckled, wiped his eyes once more and followed suit.  
  
"Yes my friend, I think we shall." He said. Sirius smirked, bowed his head, swung one leg over his broom and jumped off the roof.  
  
James gave the sky one last look of admiration, before bowing low at the red sun and jumping off the roof.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
*Hey! I figured that all this would hit James rather hard, being the gem he is. I hope it wasn't too mushy for you all, but I figured he and Sirius would have tender moments like that once in a while.  
  
Please review! 


	14. Chapter 14

* How awesome is it that we have arrived at chapter 14? I thought it was pretty cool. Thanks for reviewing guys.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
"See that star there?" Sirius asked, pointing up at the night sky. Allison frowned in concentration for a moment, trying to decipher the identity of the star he was showing her. She sighed in defeat.  
  
"Nope. What is it?" she asked. Sirius smirked.  
  
"The Dog star. Do you know what its other name is?" he pushed. Allison sighed and smiled.  
  
"Sirius." She said simply. Sirius smiled.  
  
"Very good." He said. Allison smiled, feeling very proud of herself for getting it right. Astronomy wasn't really one of her best subjects.  
  
Sirius and Allison were lying on their backs in the middle of the Quidditch pitch, looking up at the night sky and the stars that were periodically winking down at them, as if knowing they weren't meant to be out there. Sirius had 'borrowed' James's cloak and asked Allison if she felt like a late night stroll. The night air was warm and inviting, so it was really no surprise when the two of them found themselves out in it.  
  
Allison took in a deep breath of the night air and let it out slowly, feeling very content and peaceful. The only sounds that could be heard were splashes from the lake and the sound of trees rustling form the forest. She turned to face Sirius and found him watching her. She chuckled and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"We're meant to be looking at stars, not me." She said. Sirius smirked.  
  
"But the starts are in your eyes my dear." He said. Allison laughed softly.  
  
"That's the cheesiest line you've ever used!" she said. Sirius shrugged and smiled.  
  
"Well, it's a guessing game really. Now I know not to use it on you again." He said, looking back up at the sky. Allison turned slightly to face him.  
  
"How many lines do you have?" she asked. Sirius smirked and scratched his stomach lightly.  
  
"A few." He said evasively. Allison watched him for a moment, before shaking her head and looking back up at the stars. They lay in content silence for a few moments, each just happy to look up at the night sky.  
  
Finally, Allison broke the silence.  
  
"So, how did you...'  
  
"Shh." Sirius said suddenly, cutting her off. He sat up slightly and inclined his head to the other side of the pitch, as if listening for something. Allison looked up at his concerned expression and went to ask what was wrong, when she spotted the problem.  
  
Filch was making his was steadily across the field, his lantern swinging merrily at his side.  
  
And he was heading straight for them.  
  
Allison looked up at Sirius in panic.  
  
"What do we do?" she whispered. Sirius looked around frantically for a moment, before he grabbed the Invisibility cloak, rolled on top of Allison and covered them both. Allison went to protest, when Sirius put a finger to her lips, signaling for her to be quiet. Allison did as she was told and turned her head slightly to see Filch still heading in their direction. And although they could now no longer be seen, if he stood on them...  
  
Sirius seemed to be thinking the same thing also, but he was a quick thinker. He reached slowly over to his left and grabbed a rock tenderly in his hand. He pulled his wand out from his pocket, whispered a spell and the rock zoomed off to the other side of the pitch.  
  
It hit the stands hard, making a loud CRACK as it connected with the wooden panels. Filch spun around immediately, listened for a moment and thankfully walked off in the opposite direction.  
  
Sirius and Allison let out a sigh of relief, thankful that their cover had not been blown. Sirius waited a few more seconds, before removing the cloak from the two of them.  
  
But he did not move.  
  
Sirius looked down at Allison and his breath seemed to get caught in his throat. The moonlight was shining down on her, making her face and hair glow bright against the dark ground. Her short, blonde hair was sprawled around her, giving her an angelic look.  
  
Allison just stared up at him. She didn't know what to say. She didn't want him to move. The moon was creating a silhouette around his dark hair, making him stand out brilliantly against the stars. His eyes were looking at her with a fiery intensity that she had never seen before. She could feel his breath on her face... and his scent was intoxicating.  
  
"Sirius...' Allison started, but once again, Sirius pressed his finger to her lips, making her silent. And then he did the only thing that made sense.  
  
He leant in and kissed her.  
  
As quickly as he had started it, Sirius pulled back from Allison and looked down at her apprehensively. He finally rolled off her and sat up, looking down at her. Allison stayed where she was for a moment before sitting up also, not taking her eyes off him the entire time. Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"I'm sorry. I know you said you didn't like me like that and all. But you just...looked so beautiful and you...'  
  
But Sirius didn't get to finish, as Allison threw her arms around Sirius's neck and brought him back to him, kissing him with a lot more passion than before.  
  
At first, Sirius was stunned, but it quickly wore off and he kissed her back. He ran his hand through her hair, letting it run through his fingers. Allison pulled him closer and Sirius moaned.  
  
Allison pulled back and looked at Sirius with wide eyes, as if she couldn't quite believe what had just happened.  
  
"Sirius, I'm so sorry." She whispered. Sirius chuckled and smiled.  
  
"Oh god, don't be sorry." He said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Allison looked at him as if she was afraid he was going to be angry with her. "Its alright. Actually, that was better than alright." He said, smirking. Allison chuckled nervously.  
  
"Really?" she asked. Sirius sighed and nodded.  
  
"Yes." He said, letting out a breath of impressments. Allison smiled and seemed to relax. Sirius watched her for a moment, before looking at his watch and reluctantly let go of her.  
  
"We'd better get back." He said, standing up. Allison nodded and took his offered hand, letting him help her up.  
  
"Yeah. Filch might come back." She said, looking up at him still. Sirius smiled and offered his arm. Allison chuckled and linked her arm with his. "Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked as they began walking back towards the castle. Sirius smiled and kissed her again quickly. Allison chuckled and shook her head.  
  
"I meant the cloak." She said, pointing at the material in his hand. Sirius looked down at it, and then back up at her.  
  
"Yeah, I knew what you meant." He said.  
  
Allison looked up at him, trying hard not to laugh at his innocent face as he threw the Invisibility cloak over the top of them.  
  
***  
  
"Lily! Lily wake up!" Allison whispered harshly. Lily snorted and rolled over. Allison let out a cry of frustration and jumped onto Lily, making her wake up with a cry.  
  
"What! Who...where?" she said incoherently, reaching for her wand on the table next to her.  
  
"No, its ok. Its me." Allison said quickly, waving her hands out in front of her. Lily stopped short of her hand closing around her wand and squinted into the dark.  
  
"Allison? What the hell are you doing?" she asked, sitting up properly. She reached over and turned her bedside lamp on. "What time is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"2:30." Allison said, getting comfortable on Lily's bed. Lily looked at her with slight annoyance.  
  
"Why on earth are you waking me up?" she asked, yawning. Allison sighed.  
  
"I'm sorry. It seemed important, but now I feel really bad. I'll just go." She said, getting up.  
  
"Sit down. I wont be able to sleep now." Lily said, smiling. Allison sighed and sat back down. "So, what do you need to tell me?" Lily said, stretching. Allison looked at the floor and muttered something that Lily couldn't make out.  
  
"What was that?" Lily asked, leaning in. Allison sighed and looked up.  
  
"I kissed Sirius." She said clearly. Lily stared at her best friend for a moment in disbelief. But she knew she had not heard her wrong.  
  
"You...kissed Sirius?" she asked. Allison nodded. "Sirius Black?" Lily asked again. Allison rolled her eyes.  
  
"How many Sirius's do we know?" she said. Lily ignored this statement and smiled.  
  
"Wow. I mean, that's just...wow." Lily said. Allison chuckled.  
  
"You're surprised?" she asked. Lily laughed.  
  
"Well you know, you've been saying that you don't like him and...' she trailed off. Allison smiled.  
  
"Yeah, I know.' She said. Allison then went on to explain the events of that night and how she had ended up kissing the boys she had disliked for the past 3 years. Lily sat there in silence, taking in every detail that her best friend told her.  
  
When she had finished, Lily let out a breath of amazement.  
  
"So, what does this mean for the two of you?" she asked. Allison shrugged and leant back on her elbows.  
  
"I don't know. I mean, I guess it would be alright if we were together. As a couple." She said. Lily raised her eyebrows and gave Allison a look. She laughed and sighed.  
  
"Alright, I admit it. Yes, it would be great." She said in defeat. Lily laughed and whacked Allison playfully on the leg.  
  
The two girls sat in silence for a few seconds, before Lily yawned yet again.  
  
"Well, come on. Sleep is calling me an I'm about to answer the phone." She said, getting ready to settle again. Allison nodded and went to leave. "Where are you going?" Lily asked, as if she were a mother who had just caught her daughter leaving the house in the middle of the night. Allison snorted.  
  
"Back to my room." She said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Lily laughed and shook her head.  
  
"Oh no. You'll get caught. Come on." She said, moving over and pulling back the blankets. Allison smiled and shrugged in defeat.  
  
"Alright then. But if my snoring keeps you up, its your own fault." She said, taking her jacket off and climbing into bed next to Lily. Lily laughed and got herself comfortable.  
  
"No one snores as much as Remus." She said. Allison looked at Lily with both eyebrows raised. "What? I found him asleep in the common room!" she said defensively. Allison chuckled and shook her head.  
  
"Night Lily." Allison said, wrapping her arm around Lily's middle. Lily smiled, linked hands with Allison and closed her eyes.  
  
"Night Alli." She said softly.  
  
***  
  
In the early hours of the next morning, a woman sat on a rock in the Forbidden Forest, hidden behind the natural thickness of the trees. Although none could barely see in, she could definitely see out.  
  
The woman looked out impatiently at the castle. The sun was slowly rising, giving the castle an eerie glow and the scent of morning dew was heavy in the air.  
  
The woman grasped her wand as the sound of approaching footsteps was becoming increasingly louder. She smiled and let go of her wand however, as she realized who was approaching.  
  
"Over here. Hurry." She said. The boy looked into the area she was standing and did as he was told. He fought his way through the heavy shrubbery and trees until he stood face to face with the woman.  
  
"Good to see you again." She said, smiling. The boy smiled and embraced her.  
  
"Good to see you too. Although it really isn't safe for you to be here." He said, letting go of her and looking over his shoulder at the castle, as if expecting Dumbledore to be standing there. She laughed and sat back down on the boulder.  
  
"Regulus, honestly. Who comes into the Forbidden Forest at 5 in the morning?" she asked, flipping her long black hair over her shoulder. Regulus chuckled.  
  
"You." He said simply. She laughed and shrugged.  
  
"Well, I try." She said. Regulus smiled and looked around.  
  
"Rodolphus couldn't be here?" he asked. She sighed and shook her head.  
  
"Sadly no. But he sends his apologies and his regards." She said. Regulus nodded and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"I heard of Narcissa's engagement. A Malfoy. You're mother must be pleased." He said, smirking. She smirked and chuckled.  
  
"She was. Lucius is rather what we would all hope for in Pure-blood heritage." She said. Regulus chuckled and kicked a stone out of his path.  
  
"Too bad Andromeda didn't follow that road." He said regretfully. Bella frowned.  
  
"She's such a fool, marrying that mud-blood. Honestly, I don't know WHAT she was thinking." She said, rubbing her forehead. Regulus smirked.  
  
"Bella, what is it you wanted anyway?" he asked. Bellatrix laughed softly and crossed her legs, forgetting about her estranged sister.  
  
"Can't I just want to see my cousin for no reason?" she said innocently. Regulus raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Not when she's a Death Eater." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. Bella smirked up at him.  
  
"True. The Dark Lord has something to do with my being here." She said, going serious. Regulus nodded and remained silent. "You no doubt heard about the recent attack on those muggles." She said. Regulus nodded again and Bella went on. "You are a Black, and my Lord has an interest with us. What he... well ALL of us want to know, is where your loyalties lie." She said, looking up at him. Regulus frowned.  
  
"Are you trying to tell me the Dark Lord has taken an interest in me?" he asked, hardly daring to believe it. Bella smiled.  
  
"That's right." She said happily. "He knows what you are capable of. He knows that you could be a part of a great cause." She said, a wild gleam in her eyes. Regulus shook his head.  
  
"How can he possibly know that?" he asked.  
  
"The Dark Lord always knows. He has great power Regulus, and you could have some of it." She said. She stood up and walked up to him. "You see that?' she asked, pointing at the Slytherin crest on Regulus's cloak. 'That already proves that you are worthy. The Dark Lord, the heir or Salazar Slytherin himself! We are all family Regulus." She said. Regulus looked down at the crest on his chest and then back up at his cousin.  
  
"But...what of Sirius?" he asked, uncertainty in his voice. Bella rolled her eyes.  
  
"Sirius? That traitor? That Gryffindor?" she said, emphasizing the last word.  
  
"He's my brother. We share blood." He said defensively, although he didn't seem too happy about this fact either.  
  
"You hate him!" she said. "Remember? You said so yourself." Regulus sighed and turned his back to her.  
  
"I know. And I do. But...that doesn't change the fact that...'  
  
"Are you scared of him?" she challenged. Regulus spun back around.  
  
"Of course not." He said, as if the whole idea were an insult. Bella sighed.  
  
"Look, forget him. The Dark Lord is offering you the chance of a lifetime. All you have to do, is offer him your undying service. Your devotion to a great cause." She said, looking him hard din the eyes. Regulus considered his cousin for a moment, before sighing.  
  
"I need time." He said. Bella nodded.  
  
"Our Lord is patient. He has plans for you, and therefore will wait." She said. "The sun is almost up. You had better go, or you'll be missed. Owl me when you have your answer." She said. Regulus nodded as Bellatrix fastened her cloak around her neck.  
  
"Just remember, you're a Black. Part of one of the most ancient and noble pure-blood lines. The rest don't matter." She said. Regulus smirked and nodded. Bellatirix smirked at him once more, before disappearing into the forest.  
  
Regulus watched the spot she had occupied moments before, before he sighed, turned around and headed back to the castle.  
  
Little did he know, that a large black dog sat meters away behind a group of trees, listening to every word that had been said.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
*Wow. That was a long chapter. Any feedback or criticisms would be greatly appreciated! 


	15. Chapter 15

*Wow, this story was meant to be a bit of fun at the start, and now its gone all serious! Oh well, thanks for sticking with it anyway!  
  
********************************************************************  
  
"Sirius? Hey mate." James whispered tapping Sirius on the arm. Sirius, who had been staring off into space jumped and looked around at James with confusion.  
  
"What?" he asked. James smiled and indicated towards the front of class. They were sitting in Defense against the dark arts, which normally Sirius was always quite attentive in.  
  
"Everything alright?" James asked, looking at Sirius with concern. Sirius nodded and smiled.  
  
"Yeah. Just a bit tired." He said. James nodded, although he didn't looked convinced and turned back to the front.  
  
If he was honest with himself, Sirius was very worried about what he had heard that morning. The light headedness and adrenaline rush of kissing Allison had been too much for Sirius, and he had decided to go for a run early that morning to try and calm himself down. But finding his cousin Bellatirx Black (soon to be Lestrange) and his brother in the Forbidden forest talking about him possibly becoming a Death Eater was definitely not what he had expected to find.  
  
Although Sirius despised his brother, far more than simple sibling rivalry would compensate for, he did not want to see Regulus end up like that. In fact, he didn't want to see ANYONE end up like that.  
  
"Mr. Black, are you listening?" Sirius was snapped back yet again to reality by his Professor's sharp voice cutting through his thoughts. Sirius shook himself and smiled charmingly up at his professor.  
  
"Sorry sir. I was just going over the finer points of the Patronus charm, wondering what mine would look like if I ever got the chance to...'  
  
"Yes yes Black, alright. I don't want your life story." His professor said, smirking. Sirius and the rest of the class chuckled as he turned back to the blackboard.  
  
"Nice save Padfoot." Remus said, turning in his chair to look at Sirius with impressments. Sirius smiled and waved a hand dismissively.  
  
"Thanks Moony, but it was really nothing." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. James chuckled.  
  
"You're bloody lucky that Knickleby has a sense of humor like we do." James said, indicating to their professor. Sirius snorted.  
  
"He's the only one." He said, as if it were a great disappointment. Remus smiled and turned back to the front.  
  
"So, I heard about you and Allison." James whispered. Sirius smiled and reached for his quill. If they weren't actually going to DO any work, they would at least look like they were.  
  
"Yeah, I don't think I scared her off. She was a little shy at breakfast this morning, but I think that will pass.' He said. James nodded.  
  
"Yeah. She just needs reassurance." He said. Sirius raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Why?" he asked. James sighed and looked at the table three rows in front of them where Lily and Allison sat.  
  
"Well, don't say anything, but apparently Allison isn't too confident." He whispered.  
  
"What, with relationships?" Sirius asked. Jams nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Although I cant imagine why." He said. Sirius went to say something, when...  
  
"Honestly Sirius. Do I have to ask you again?" Professor Knickleby asked. Sirius smirked and shook his head at his young Professor.  
  
"No sir, but you can if you want." He said. Knickleby looked as though he was trying not to smile as he rolled his eyes and sat down on his desk.  
  
"Look, I know it's been a long, boring day. But I need you all to be here mentally, not just physically." He said. The class nodded and was thankfully saved from doing anymore note-taking from the bell ringing.  
  
The class bid good-bye to their professor and drowsily made their way out of class. Everyone seemed to be in a lethargic state.  
  
"How is Lily?" James asked, coming up behind Lily, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.  
  
"Lily is tired." She sighed. James smirked and kissed her neck. Lily quivered slightly. He somehow knew how to push the right buttons.  
  
"Ew. Mushy couple at 10 o'clock." Remus said, shielding his face. Peter laughed and ran ahead down the hall.  
  
"Jealously is a powerful thing Moony!" James called as Remus jogged off laughing after Peter.  
  
"Hey, speaking of mushy couples...' Lily asked, looking around. James nodded and looked around also, cottoning on to what she was getting at.  
  
"Maybe they went for some 'private time'." James said, making the sing with his fingers. Lily laughed, grabbed his tie and pulled him down.  
  
"Maybe we can go for a little 'private time'." She asked suggestively. James smirked and kissed her shortly.  
  
"I think I'd like that." He said.  
  
******  
  
Sirius and Allison as it was, actually were having some private time. But it involved neither kissing nor touching of any sort. In fact, they were sitting on opposite side of the room, just looking at each other, each waiting for the other to speak first.  
  
Finally, Sirius cleared his throat. "So," he started. Allison nodded.  
  
"So," he echoed. The conversation died and they found themselves in silence again. Sirius shook his head and chuckled.  
  
"This is crazy. I don't know why I'm so damn nervous." He said, running a hand through his hair. Allison smiled.  
  
"Me either.' She said. Sirius sighed and leant forward, his arms resting on his knees.  
  
"Ok, seen as you're not going to start, I will.' He said. Sirius took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Allison, I really like you. I've liked you ever since I saw you skull 4 bottles of Butterbeer as a dare on Halloween.' He said. Allison laughed and cringed, as if she would rather not remember such as thing and was appalled that he did. 'I like the way you smile, the way you walk...and the way you pull on your hair when you get nervous." He said, smiling as Allison was doing just that. She smiled and released her hair.  
  
"I don't know what to say Sirius." She said.  
  
"Say you'll be with me." Sirius said, getting up, waling over to her and getting down on his knees in front of her. Sirius took her hands and looked up at her intensely. "Just say that you could possibly feel the same way." He said softly.  
  
Allison looked down at him with shining eyes. She didn't know what to say. Her mind was confused; wondering if getting involved with anyone would screw her life over. But on the other hand, her heart was screaming at her to bend down and kiss the boy until he passes out. Allison bit her lip, decided to listen to her heart and pressed her lips against Sirius's.  
  
For a moment, they just sat there, connected until Allison pulled back slowly and smiled.  
  
"That's your answer." She said. Sirius's face lit up as he stood up, grabbed Allison out of her seat and lifted her up, spinning around with her in the center of the room. Allison burst out laughing as Sirius finally put her down and looked at her as if all his Christmas's had come at once.  
  
"You...you really want to?" he asked, as if still not sure. Allison laughed and kissed him softly.  
  
"Yes Black, I do." She said. Sirius smiled, as it was the first time Allison had called him Black without any bitterness or annoyance. He smiled and kissed her again.  
  
"Great." He said softly.  
  
*********  
  
"Watch where you're going, Lupin!  
  
Remus did a double take as he noticed who he walked into. He rolled his eyes and sighed.  
  
"I guess this is where I should say Sorry." Remus said irritably. Snape chuckled without humor.  
  
"Means nothing coming from you anyway." He sneered. Remus sighed.  
  
"Honestly Snape, you need therapy or something." He said. Snape, not really knowing what therapy was, ignored him and continued.  
  
"Now I need to go wash my robes. You've gotten your filth on them." He sneered. Remus stood there and watched Snape for a moment, not saying anything. Snape waited a moment, and when he realized Remus had no comeback, he smirked, turned around and continued walking.  
  
Remus watched Snape walk down the hall for a moment, before turning on his heel and walking off in the other direction. A million thoughts passed through the young wizard's head as he continued on his way to Gryffindor Tower. That had been the first time in a long while that he did not have a comeback or remark to throw back at Snape. Whenever Snape touched on his Lycanthropy, it was definitely a sore spot, and Snape knew that.  
  
Normally, Remus wouldn't take what Snape said to him as an insult. And he didn't know why he was now. Remus was always self-conscious about his condition. He was always conscious of the monster that now took up part of his life.  
  
He would sometimes doubt that he was human anymore, and that he had any right to the happiness that James and Sirius insisted that he deserved. Remus of course, was like any other boy his age. He had dreams; wants and desires just like everyone else. Maybe even more so.  
  
As his condition made such things even harder for him to possess and accomplish, it made his desire burn for them even more.  
  
Remus turned around the corner and looked out of the windows off into the distance where the Shack lay, a simple dot in the distance. He sighed, thinking that he would once again be there in a matter of weeks. He wondered if he would ever be rid of this curse. But then again, he felt grateful that his friends would be there.  
  
He smiled, knowing that James would be rather irritated if he knew what Remus really thought of himself. James was fiercely protective of his friends, and Remus felt very lucky to be on James's good side.  
  
As Remus spoke the password and entered the common room, he felt the warmth of the room flood over him, as if the entire room were welcoming him home.  
  
"Hey Remus! Thank Merlin you're here. I need help with this essay!" Peter called from a small corner. He had papers scattered all around him and a hopelessly lost look upon his face. His hair was sticking up, as though he had run his hand through it one too many times in frustration.  
  
Remus sighed, smiled and walked over to Peter.  
  
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*Yeah, not a long chapter. But I hope you enjoyed it anyway.  
  
Please review! 


	16. Chapter 16

* Thanks for reviewing so far guys. You all totally rock my world. Here's chapter 16. I hope you're all having fun. I think I'll be ending this story soon.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
The early days of April were flying by like an owl caught in a cyclone, and before the students of Hogwarts knew it, it was late April, and exams were drawing closer.  
  
"Ok. Shoot me now!" Sirius groaned, throwing his quill down and leaning back in his chair. Allison chuckled.  
  
"Oh come on. You're meant to be a god at Transfiguration remember?" she said, raising an eyebrow. Sirius smirked and sat up again.  
  
"Yeah, you make a good point." He said airily.  
  
"And, who besides James Potter has the best grades in the class?" she asked, poking him with the end of her quill. Sirius sighed dramatically and smiled.  
  
"How is it you always know the right thing to say?" he asked, leaning over and kissing her. Allison laughed and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Its really not that hard. All I have to do is inflate your already over- sized head." She said, dipping her quill in her inkpot again. Sirius chuckled and turned back to his notes.  
  
As Sirius was no longer allowed in the library, he and Allison had decided to stay back in the common room while the other three Marauders and Lily had gone on. Their NEWT's were coming up soon, and they were taking advantage of every spare second they had to study.  
  
"Ok, I'm done. How about you?" Allison said as she added her name to the top of the page of her finished essay. Sirius looked at her with envy and then hopelessly back down at his own.  
  
"Nearly.' He sighed. He bit his lip and looked down at her finished work. 'Can I..."  
  
"No!" Allison said, already knowing what he was going to say. "You cant copy in the exams, so you cant copy now." She said indignantly. Sirius put on his puppy-dog look, which he was quite good at and looked at her with big, shining eyes.  
  
"Please?" he asked. Allison rolled her eyes.  
  
"You can 'compare'." She said, reluctantly handing over her essay. Sirius took it with joy and went back to work with enthusiasm. Allison smiled as she watched him work. It still amazed her at how good Sirius was at Transfiguration. It seemed to come naturally to him, and she envied that.  
  
Allison bit her lip, contemplating asking him the question that she had been burning to ask him for weeks now.  
  
"Sirius?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Hmm?" Sirius asked, not looking up from his work. Allison took a deep breath and collected her courage.  
  
"Where do you go every month?' she asked. Sirius paused mid-writing and looked up at her. 'You know, you always disappear for a while.' She said, looking at him with wide-eyes. Sirius sighed and put his quill down.  
  
"Look, its not that I don't want to tell you...' He started. 'Its just that it doesn't just involve me, and therefore its not my place to tell you without discussing it with the others." He said. Allison nodded, feeling both thankful that he wasn't angry, but still curios as to where he went.  
  
"That's ok. I was just wondering." She said, tugging on her hair. Sirius smiled and her.  
  
"So,' he said, raising an eyebrow and holding up his piece of parchment 'How about some proof reading?"  
  
****  
  
"So, what do you think?" Sirius asked, looking at his friends apprehensively. James shrugged.  
  
"Well, it's fine with me. I mean... we trust her enough. Moony, what about you?" James asked, turning to Remus. Remus sighed and shook his head.  
  
"I don't know. Are you sure she can handle it?" he asked. Sirius sighed and looked at Remus hard.  
  
"I don't know. That's why I came to you. I mean sure...the Animagus thing she can handle. But I don't want to tell her about you until I have your permission." He said. Remus considered it for a moment, before nodding.  
  
"Ok. But I want to be there when you tell her." He said. Sirius nodded and smiled.  
  
"That's not a problem." He said. James smiled and sighed.  
  
"Can't you just feel the love?" he said, bobbing where he sat like an excited 5-year-old. Sirius laughed and Remus threw some grass at James.  
  
"Hey, I'm just saying." James said, ducking away. Remus rolled his eyes and Sirius lay down on his back, his hands folded behind his head.  
  
"Moony, you need a woman." He stated. James snorted and Remus chuckled.  
  
"No thank you Padfoot. I'm quite content being single at the moment." He said, looking up at the sky. James shrugged and pushed his glasses up his nose.  
  
"Well, when-ever you feel you want to join the club...you let us know." He said. Remus smiled and nodded.  
  
"Will do, Prongs." He said.  
  
"Hey, where's Wormtail?" Sirius asked. James shrugged as Remus looked around.  
  
"I think he's studying. Poor guy just can't keep up." He said, running a hand through his hair. Sirius chuckled and sat up again.  
  
"That's the story of his life it seems." He said regretfully, looking out over the lake. Remus and James nodded.  
  
There was a short silence between the 3 boys, before James ran a hand nervously through his hair again.  
  
"I'm going to ask Lily to marry me." He blurted out. Sirius and Remus both turned to look at James, their eyes wide with astonishment at this declaration.  
  
"Prongs...' Sirius breathed, 'are...are you sure?" he stuttered. Remus looked to stunned to say anything. James smiled nervously and nodded.  
  
"Well, yeah. I mean...I love her and she loves me. I don't want to spend the rest of my life with anyone else but her. I've always known that, even before I knew what it meant." He said, looking at the ground. Sirius nodded slowly and Remus, who had finally snapped out of his daze, clapped James on the back.  
  
"Well, I say good luck to you. And I have no doubts she'll say yes." He said, smiling warmly at James. James smiled and Sirius nodded again in agreement.  
  
"Definitely." He said. The three boys once again sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, before Remus looked at his watch and sighed.  
  
"Come on, we'd better go do our Charms essay." He said, standing up and brushing himself off. James nodded and Sirius groaned.  
  
"Exams...essays...I'll be so glad when this is all over." He said, standing up with James. James laughed and clapped Sirius on the shoulder.  
  
"Couldn't agree more Padfoot." He said.  
  
And the three best friends walked back up to the castle together.  
  
**  
  
"Hey Lily. I just wanted to borrow your...' James stopped mid sentence as he spotted the expression on Lily's face.  
  
She was sitting on the couch near the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room, clutching a piece of paper in her hand with a look of amazement on her face.  
  
"Lily? Are...you alright?" James asked, sitting down next to her. She didn't say anything, just continued to stare into the dead fireplace. "Lily?" James asked, waving a hand in front of her face. Lily jumped and looked at him, as if just noticing he was there.  
  
"James. Sorry, did you say something?" she asked, shifting slightly. James raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What's up?" he asked, looking down at the paper in her hand. Lily looked down at her hand and handed the piece of paper to him soundlessly. James watched her for a moment, before unfolding he paper and reading it.  
  
'Dear Lily,  
  
How are you sweetheart? As usual your father and I miss you terribly. Petunia had only just informed us that you visited briefly a while back. She said that you brought one of your friends with you. We're terribly sorry we missed you both. Hopefully we can meet him soon.  
  
Speaking of your sister, she is mostly the reason that I am sending this letter to you at such a peculiar time. You will of course know of Petunia's boyfriend Vernon Dursley (Yes, the one with no neck, a funny moustache and no fashion sense). Well interestingly enough, he as proposed to Petunia, and she has accepted! Isn't it the most extraordinary news? Here I was thinking they weren't REMOTELY serious, and he goes ahead and pops the question! They will be getting married in just a few short weeks. Personally I think they are rushing it a bit, but I suppose that's how the times are changing.  
  
Your father is finding it extremely hard to bite his tongue. He doesn't quite care for Vernon, as you very well know, but he is being especially nice to him, and I hope you will do the same. Yes, don't try to deny it; I know your opinion of the man. But I just hope you can be civil to him. Yes, he is extraordinarily rude sometimes, but he will soon be family, and we need to respect that.  
  
Well anyway, I feel I have blabbed on enough, and I'm sure you have enough things to do than listen to your mother dip on about nonsense, what with you NEWT's coming and all.  
  
So, with that...I send my love and affection, as does your father.  
  
Love Mum and Dad.'  
  
James looked up from the letter to look at Lily. She seemed to slowly be coming back to reality as she watched him read the letter.  
  
"You're sister has a boyfriend?" James asked. He had never really wanted to know anything about Lily's sister, as he found her to be quite... unpleasant. Lily nodded slowly.  
  
"Fiancé." She said, correcting herself. James looked at her, his eyebrow raised.  
  
"And this has upset you because..." he asked, looking for an answer. Lily looked at James, before the corner of her mouth twitched.  
  
"Upset? Are you kidding?" she asked. James smirked as her face slowly grew into a large grin. Suddenly, she seemed to be overcome with a sudden case of the giggles.  
  
"Upset? James, that's the funniest, most stupidest thing I've ever heard!" she said. James chuckled as Lily was now laughing rather hysterically. "My sister...is getting married...to that git!" she breathed, clutching her side. James laughed and patted her on the back, trying to calm her down.  
  
"Oh, I haven't laughed that much in ages." Lily said, calming down and wiping a tear from her eye. James chuckled and handed the letter back to her.  
  
"So, what's this... Vernon guy like?" he asked, chuckling as he said Vernon's name. Lily's expression turned a bit sour.  
  
"He's just like Petunia. They're perfect for each other. Although its rather amusing to see them together. My sister, being the bony petite thing she is with Vernon, a beefy man with no neck and large cheeks. Oh James, you would kill yourself laughing." She said, patting him on the knee. James smiled.  
  
"Probably. But I laugh at your sister enough as it is, let alone having a boyfri...fiancé." James said, correcting himself sarcastically. Lily smiled and turned to him.  
  
"I'm sorry. You came in here wanting something, what was it?" she asked. James smiled and waved his hand dismissively.  
  
"Doesn't matter. This is far more interesting." He said, smiling a charming smile. Lily smiled and nodded.  
  
"Hey, not to change the subject... but have you seen Allison?" Lily asked, looking around. James smiled and nodded.  
  
"She, Sirius and Remus are having a word." He said. He chuckled at Lily's curious expression. 'Lets just say she's getting a debriefing." He said.  
  
Lily smiled and nodded in understanding. She knew what that meant.  
  
**  
  
Allison looked at the two boys in front of her with astonishment, wondering if she had heard them right. Seconds past with their words still ringing in her ears. She knew she had not mis-heard them.  
  
"So... you...you're a werewolf?" She asked uncertainly, looking at Remus. Remus smiled and nodded.  
  
"That's right." He said. Allison blinked.  
  
"Since when?" she asked.  
  
"Since I was little. About three." He said casually. Allison was stunned. She would not have been so causal if she were a Lycan.  
  
"And you go through a secret passage in the castle into the Shrieking Shack every month to transform?" she asked, making sure she got everything right. Remus nodded again. Allison nodded and then turned to the other boy in front of her.  
  
"But that still doesn't explain where YOU go every month." She said, pointing at Sirius. "I mean, its not as if you're off with Remus when he transforms." She said, chuckling. Her humor quickly faded as Sirius looked around nervously. Allison's eyes widened.  
  
"Oh my god Sirius! I mean, no offence Remus, but werewolves are dangerous!" she said hysterically, standing up.  
  
"Allison, sit down. Remus is only dangerous to humans." Sirius pressed. Allison sat down slowly, not taking her eyes off her boyfriend.  
  
"So...what're you saying?" she asked. Sirius looked at Remus for a moment before looking back at Allison and sighing.  
  
"James, Peter and I are illegal Animagi." He said quietly. Allison's eyes almost popped out of her head.  
  
"Seriously?" she whispered. Sirius smirked, stood up and transformed into a dog. He walked around in a circle for a few moments, before turning back into his normal form. Allison looked at him with awe and astonishment.  
  
"No wonder you're so good at Transfiguration." She breathed. Remus chuckled but Sirius was looking at her with concentration.  
  
"Allison, you realize the trust we're placing on you by telling you this." He said. Allison nodded, looking both the boys in the eye.  
  
"I do. And I'm very, VERY flattered that you feel you could tell me all this. I swear, I won't tell anyone." She said, raising her right hand to emphasize the fact. Remus smiled and nodded.  
  
"Thanks." He said. Allison smiled and Sirius rubbed his hands together.  
  
"Well, I think we've had enough confessions for today. Shall we Moony?" he asked, standing up and looking down at Remus. Remus chuckled and nodded, standing up also.  
  
"I'll just...give you two a second." He said. Allison smiled as Remus nodded respectfully and walked out of the room.  
  
As soon as Remus shut the door, Sirius grabbed Allison around the middle and pushed her up against the wall.  
  
"Oh, I thought he'd never leave." He said, smirking. Allison chuckled and kissed him softly. Sirius went to continue, when he looked at her for a moment. "I hope you don't feel bad...seen as we've kept this from you for ages." He said. Allison shook her head and stroked Sirius's cheek softly.  
  
"No. I understand." She said simply. Sirius smirked and leant in again. Allison slowly put her arms around Sirius's neck and kissed him back.  
  
For what seemed like forever, but was only a few seconds, they stood there, kissing each other. Sirius, now that he had the opportunity, just couldn't get enough of her. And Allison surprisingly found herself in the same situation.  
  
Finally, Sirius pulled back and released Allison from the wall, leaving her with a familiar tingling feeling throughout her body.  
  
"Come on, let's get some food." Sirius said, holding out his arm. Allison chuckled at his ever-pressing need for food, even in situations such as these and let herself be led out of the classroom and into the hall.  
  
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*Yet again, not a lot. But I figure you need these sorts of things every now and then.  
  
Please review! 


	17. Chapter 17

*Oh, chapter 17! Thanks so much for reviewing guys. I've just made a decision to see this through to the end of their 7th year. If anyone has any objections, please let me know.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
"Come on. Move!" Lily said irritably, shoving past a group of third years. Sirius looked at her with slight fear as he walked up to James, who was standing quite a distance back, looking on with apprehension.  
  
"Gees. What's her problem?" he asked. James smiled.  
  
"That time of the month." He muttered, so only Sirius could hear. Sirius nodded and smiled.  
  
"Ah, I see. But I must say it's a miracle your head is still attached." He said, poking James slightly in the side of the head. James chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, cause I'm standing over here." He admitted, smiling. Sirius smiled and looked out into the Great Hall. The two of them were standing in the middle of the hallway.  
  
"So, why is it that we are standing in front of the Great Hall and not actually entering it?" Sirius asked, putting his hands in his pockets. James shrugged.  
  
"Just thinking." He said dreamily. Sirius smiled as he noticed James was still looking at Lily. Sirius went to say something, when he smiled and turned around to Remus who had just arrived instead. Sirius opened his mouth to give a cheery hello, when again he did not get the chance to speak.  
  
"What are you two doing standing here looking like idiots? Get inside the hall and stop blocking traffic!" he snapped and walked off into the hall. James's eyes widened.  
  
"What's HIS problem?" he asked. Sirius smirked.  
  
"That time of the month." he muttered, walking off. James laughed and followed Sirius into the hall.  
  
**  
  
"Mr. Potter! May I speak with you for a moment?"  
  
James spun around at his name being called and looked a little stunned up at his Headmaster. He, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Lily and Allison were all on their way to their last class of the day. Transfiguration. They were already late as it was, and James was startled to find Dumbledore calling him.  
  
"Er, sure.' He turned around to the others. "I'll catch up." He said.  
  
"Actually, I was rather hoping that you would come also Lily." He said, smiling. Lily looked at the boys and her best friend around her and shrugged.  
  
"Um, ok. Sure." She said, handing her books to Allison.  
  
"Mr. Lupin, could you please inform Professor McGonagall of all this?" he asked. Remus nodded. The two teens gave their friends one last look before following their Headmaster off down the hall.  
  
"Um Sir, we haven't got a meeting until...'  
  
"I know Miss Evans. But this isn't really relevant to school as such." Dumbeldore said, not looking around. Lily looked at James next to her. They both wore the same look of confusion as each other.  
  
They followed Dumbledore right up to his office without saying a word, both thinking hard at what he could possibly want to talk to them about.  
  
As they entered Dumbledore's office, Lily smiled and let out a breath of awe. She had always found this office to be nothing short of magnificent.  
  
"Please, take a seat." Dumbledore said, walking around to the back of his desk and indicating to the two chairs in front of it. James and Lily gave one another a look, before doing do. As James sat down, Fawkes flew over and landed on James's knee. He smiled and patted the phoenix softly.  
  
"Hey mate." He said. Fawkes let out a soft chord of phoenix song, before rubbing his cheek against James's and flying back over to his perch.  
  
"So, I have no doubt that your young minds are simply buzzing with curiosity." Dumbledore asked, folding his hands on his desk and looked at them with twinkling eyes. Lily smiled and James chuckled, reclining in his chair as if he were at home.  
  
"Sir, I'm seriously beginning to wonder if you're a master of Legimency." James said suggestively. Lily rolled her eyes, but Dumbledore chuckled softly.  
  
"You will forever wonder that James. But anyhow, back to the reason I have interrupted your Transfiguration session." He said, leaning back a little. "What I'm going to say is very direct. I feel there is no point beating around the bus to you." He said. Lily snorted softly.  
  
"Bush, sir. Beating around the bush." She corrected him quietly, smirking. Dumbledore chuckled again.  
  
"Thank you Lily. I had always found to rather unusual for one to beat around a bus." He said. Lily smiled and Dumbledore sighed.  
  
"Do either of you know what the Order of the Phoenix is?" he asked. Lily and James shook their heads. Dumbledore suppressed the urge to laugh at their blank expressions and went on. "It is a resistance, started by myself, to fight the dark forces of our time. I, along with the other members, feel that the Ministry, although I am reluctant to say it, are not dealing with matters appropriately." He said. James chuckled bitterly.  
  
'You've got that right." He said darkly.  
  
"Shh." Lily said. "Let him finish." She said, still looking at her Headmaster with interest. Dumbledore smiled and continued.  
  
"All members included in the order share a common bond. A single objective, which is to see the end of these dark times and put a stop to Voldemort." James sat up straighter with interest.  
  
"So, you're doing secret agent type stuff right under the Ministry's nose?" James asked. Dumbledore smiled and adjusted his glasses.  
  
"You could put it like that." He said. James let out a breath of impressment.  
  
"Never knew you had it in you sir." He said, looking at Dumbledore with a new found respect and admiration.  
  
"So, what does this have to do with us?" Lily asked, pointing to both James and herself.  
  
"Isn't it obvious? I'm asking you if you wish to become members." Dumbledore said simply. Lily's mouth dropped open, but James however seemed to be quivering with excitement.  
  
"Us? Seriously?" he pushed, as if not daring to believe it. Dumbledore nodded. "But why?" he asked. Dumbledore considered the two of them for a moment, before sighing.  
  
"You two, along with a few others I have observed, are the most keen to participate and help out in anyway possible. I feel you would be quite capable to assist, otherwise I would not be asking you." He said. He had gone rather serious. James nodded and looked at Lily. She looked as though she were deep in thought. Her face was set hard in concentration, her eyes not moving from Dumbledore.  
  
"Who else is a part of the Order?" she asked.  
  
"I cannot really tell you everyone. Some you know, others you don't. Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hagrid, Frank and Alice Longbottom...'  
  
"The Longbottoms? Wow, they're like the best Aurors around aren't they?" James asked, running a hand through his hair. Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"Yes, they are rather good. Minerva seems to think so." He said, leaning forward again. Lily sat up straighter.  
  
"Professor McGonagall too?" she asked, impressed. Dumbledore smiled and nodded.  
  
There was a short silence, before James spoke up.  
  
"What about Sirius? And Remus..."  
  
"Yes, about that. I will be asking Misters Lupin and Black in a short while." He said. James looked at him expectantly.  
  
"And Peter?" he asked, leaning forward slightly. Dumbledore looked slightly uncomfortable.  
  
"You must understand, that the Order only takes on those who they think is capable of handling the responsibility. And while I like Peter immensely, I'm afraid I can't ask him to join. I feel he would be more safe not being involved." He said, almost regretfully.  
  
"But why? Just because he's not as skilled? Peter's perfectly capable!" James said outraged. He did not see the sense in excluding Peter. "And no offence to Hargid sir, but if he can be involved, why the hell can't Peter?" he asked, anger evident in his voice.  
  
"James! Honestly. Professor Dumbledore has his reasons and...'  
  
"No Lily.' Dumbledore interrupted, looking at James. James started hard at his headmaster. "Very well James, if you feel he is up to it, I will ask Peter." He said. James deflated and relaxed slightly.  
  
"Good." He said indignantly. Lily gave him a sharp look and he sighed again. "I'm sorry for yelling." He muttered, smiling apologetically. Dumbledore smiled and nodded.  
  
"Think nothing of it." He said, waving a hand dismissively.  
  
"So, Allison as well?" she asked. Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"I believe your whole little family would like to be involved." He said, raising an eyebrow imploringly. Lily chuckled and James leant back in his chair again.  
  
"So, you're really offering us this." James said. It wasn't a question. Dumbledore leant forward even more, and James noted that he looked rather tired.  
  
"I say that if you decline, you will not remember any of it anyway. I will have to modify your memories, as I'm sure you understand." He said. He continued as James and Lily nodded. "And if you accept, I'm afraid I must ask you not to discuss anything with anyone until all of you know." He said. The nodded again, knowing that he was referring to the other Marauders and Allison.  
  
"Yes, we understand." James said. Dumbledore smiled as Fawkes landed on the desk next to him. He stroked his faithful pet for a moment, before turning back to the two teens in front of him.  
  
"So, what is your answer?" he asked. Lily and James thought for a moment.  
  
"What do you expect from us?" James asked.  
  
"Nothing more or less than your devotion and loyalty. And being the Gryffindors that you are, I feel you will have no trouble with that." Dumbledore said, the twinkle back in his eyes.  
  
Lily and James looked at each other. Did they really want to do this? Were they ready to commit to something like this? The two of them smiled, a telepathic message being passed between them. The turned to Dumbledore, looking at his expectant face.  
  
"Where do we sign?" Lily asked, smiling.  
  
***  
  
An hour later, Lily and James were sitting cross-legged on the floor of Lily's room, their heads buzzing over what they had just done. Over what they had just committed to. Lily once again had her head resting in James's lap. He was leaning against the bed.  
  
"I don't know. Now that I've done that, its like a deep sense of...' James trailed off, looking for the right word.  
  
"Satisfaction?" Lily offered.  
  
"Yes!" James said, clicking his fingers. "That's exactly it! Its like, now we're actually doing something. We can help." He said, looking down at her. Lily smiled up at him, took his hand and kissed his fingers lightly.  
  
"I know. I didn't realize how badly I wanted in until now." She said, linking her hand with his. James nodded.  
  
"You know what? I reckon the new generation is going to be the end of Him. I mean, the Longbottoms!" he said, still impressed with this fact. Lily chuckled.  
  
"I know. I remember our first year. Everyone looked up to Alice and Frank." She said. James nodded, playing with her hair and remembering how popular they were.  
  
"Now they are one happily married couple." He said. Lily let out a hum of agreement and James looked down at her. "You don't regret it, do you?" he asked. Lily looked up at him.  
  
"What? Alice and Frank being married?" she asked. James rolled his eyes.  
  
"No! Us." He said. Lily looked up at him with curiosity.  
  
"No. Why would I?" she asked. She reached out, took his glasses off and put them on. James looked down at her and laughed. She looked rather peculiar with his round glasses on.  
  
"I don't know. Just making sure." He said. Lily sat up properly, laid her legs over his and looked him hard in the eye.  
  
"I love you James. Ok?" she said. James nodded, leant in and kissed her. Lily raised an eyebrow as James began to chuckle.  
  
"What's so funny?" she asked. James chuckled again and pointed to his glasses on her nose. Lily went cross-eyed to look at them in front of her, causing James to laugh even more. "Shut-up. You look even dorkier with them." She retorted jokingly. James smiled and Lily looked at him with interest. He looked much younger and more innocent without his glasses. He looked vulnerable.  
  
"I wonder if that's what my son would look like.' She thought. Lily was suddenly startled by this thought. Since when did she think about children?  
  
"Come on. I'm hungry." James said, taking his glasses back, putting them back on and getting up. Lily looked up at him and smiled.  
  
"Can nothing come between you and food?" she asked, letting him help her up. As she did so, James pulled her to him and he kissed her neck softly.  
  
"You ARE my food." He said. Lily chuckled and swatted him playfully on the arm.  
  
"Even Sirius can think of better lines than that. Come on." She said, and dragged him out of her room off to dinner.  
  
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*Yay. Another chapter done. I know, there wasn't a lot of the others, but hey! This IS a Lily/James story after all!  
  
Please Review! 


	18. Chapter 18

*Oooooh, chapter 18! I'm excited! Well, not 'Big Kev' excited, but happy nonetheless. Thanks for reviewing guys!  
  
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Over the course of the next three weeks, the others were informed of the Order, and had all taken it on with great enthusiasm. They had done as Dumbledore had instructed, and had not talked about it to anyone, and kept it strictly within their group.  
  
Although, with exams continuing to become less of a distance speck in the horizon, their conversations about it became limited.  
  
"My hand...has officially...died." Lily said, writing out the last line of her notes and speaking between pauses. Allison chuckled.  
  
"Tell me about it. But its going to be even worse when I get my job at the Prophet." She said, smirking. Lily looked up at her and smiled.  
  
"So, you've finally moved on from all this "If" rubbish, to "When". Its about bloody time." Lily said, in an I-told-you-so tone. Allison chuckled, dipped her quill in the inkpot again and continued writing. Lily watched Allison for a moment, before following suit.  
  
For as long as Lily had known Allison, it had always been her ambition to write. She had been writing short stories every chance she got. Lily had even had the privilege to read a few, and they were very good. So, as Allison wasn't too fussed about writing spell books that no-one read unless they were researching, her goal was now to become a journalist for the Daily Prophet.  
  
"Ok, I'm done." Allison said in a satisfied tone, throwing her quill down. Lily chuckled and added the last few words to her own.  
  
"Same." She said. The two girls read over their work for a moment, before Lily put hers down, looked at her watch and sighed.  
  
"Come on. Time to go." She said, pulling her robes back on. Allison looked up at Lily confused.  
  
"Time to go where?" she asked. Lily stood up and smiled grimly.  
  
"To say good-bye to the boys." She said simply.  
  
***  
  
"Allison...you need to let go just a tad." Sirius said, trying to pry Allison from him. But she had a firm grip around his middle, and she was not letting him go. She was holding on to him as if she were saying good-bye to her parent on the first day of school.  
  
"But...what if you get hurt? Or what if something goes wrong?" she muttered nervously against his chest. Sirius rolled his eyes and looked at James for help. James chuckled and tapped Allison on the shoulder.  
  
"Allison, we've been doing this for nearly 2 years. Nothing's going to go wrong." He said. Allison shook her head. Lily sighed and Peter looked very amused.  
  
"Al, please let go. Times running out." Sirius pleaded. Allison clung to him for a few more moments, before very reluctantly releasing him. Sirius smiled down at her.  
  
"I'll be back in the morning." He said, and bent down and kissed her. Allison nodded and stepped back away from him.  
  
"I just worry, is all." She muttered. Lily smiled weakly and linked her arm with Allison's. James chuckled and walked over to Sirius's side.  
  
"Good god, now there's two of them." Sirius muttered. James chuckled and winked at Lily. She smiled back, and James looked back around to Peter.  
  
"That's you're cue Wormtail." He said. Peter nodded, smiled and turned instantly into a rat. He ran off down the hall and around the corner out of sight.  
  
"Go get some sleep. We'll be fine." James said. He and Sirius gave the girls one last smile, before James threw the cloak over the two of them, making them disappear instantly.  
  
The two girls stood there, listening until the sound of footsteps slowly faded off into the distance, before Allison turned to Lily, clutching her arm.  
  
"My god Lils, how can you do this every month?" she asked. Lily smiled and the two girls began walking down the hall.  
  
"Well, I've only known for a few months, myself." She said. "James told me about a month after we started dating. I remember the first time I went to see them off. They felt weird about me doing it, but I insisted." She said, smirking at the memory. Allison smiled weakly and sighed.  
  
"Aren't you worried?" she asked tentively. "I mean, all in all as I like Remus...' she trailed off, looking apprehensively. Lily nodded understandingly.  
  
"Are you kidding? I'm a wreck every time they go. But like they said, they'll be alright." She said, although she wasn't totally sure of this. Allison nodded and linked her hand with Lily's.  
  
"Lily?" Allison asked. Lily smiled.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I think I might be...um... falling for Sirius." She said quietly. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Well duh." She said. Allison chuckled.  
  
"No, I mean...falling hard." She said. Lily turned to look at her.  
  
"Really?" she asked. Allison nodded and smiled nervously.  
  
"Stupid Git. Making me care about him." She muttered. Lily laughed and kissed Allison on the temple.  
  
"Join the club, my dear. Join the club."  
  
**  
  
A majestic stag looked down at the sleeping wolf in front of him. He bent down and sniffed the hairy mound, making sure it was safe. He turned around, his eyes resting on the dog sitting still in the dusty corner across from him. The dog looked at him, and the stag nodded his head towards the trap door, leading down to the tunnel underground. The dog nodded and followed the Stag out of the room and down the tunnel.  
  
Once they were a fair distance down, they turned back into their human forms.  
  
"Ow! Crap." Sirius growled, rubbing his head. He had hit his head on the roof of the tunnel when he tried to stand up. James chuckled.  
  
"Nice one." He said. Sirius glared at him.  
  
"What is it you wanted to talk about?" he asked, sitting down. James did the same.  
  
"The Order." He said. Sirius nodded and drew his knees up.  
  
"Ah yes. The wonderful Order of the Phoenix, which we are yet to actually see." He said. James smiled and nodded. In fact, they had not attended any meetings yet, as they were still at school and Dumbledore was finding it hard to find appropriate times and places to hold them.  
  
"Well anyway...I was wondering about what you thought about it. Dumbledore said something about Voldemort choosing his own potential Death Eaters here." He said, indicating to the grounds above them. Sirius looked away from James.  
  
"Yeah, I heard." He said darkly. Sirius had still not told anyone about what he had heard in the Forbidden Forest weeks ago.  
  
"Who do you reckon would be most likely?" he asked. Sirius chuckled bitterly.  
  
"Lets see now. Snape, Rosier, Avery..." he said, counting the off on his fingers. "Shall I go on?" he asked innocently. James snorted.  
  
"No need. I was thinking the same thing. Snape especially. He's just the type, with his obsession with the Dark Arts and all." He said, scratching his chin pensively. Sirius nodded.  
  
"Does Dumbledore think that?" he asked. James chuckled.  
  
"No way. He's all about second chances. He wouldn't want to suspect any of his students. I bet he didn't even want to suspect Voldemort himself!" James said, running a hand through his hair.  
  
The two boys sat there in silence for a few moments, before Sirius sighed.  
  
"Prongs, I've got something to tell you." He said.  
  
"Ok." James said, turning to look at his best friend. Sirius sighed and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a loud growl and a crashing noise coming from above them. The two boys looked down the tunnel to see shadows moving around.  
  
"Moony's awake." James said. Sirius nodded and the two boys stood up again quickly. "Can you tell me later?" James asked, looking behind him at Sirius. Sirius nodded.  
  
James smiled, turned back into a stag and cantered back up the tunnel and out of sight.  
  
Sirius watched him for a moment, before turning back into a dog and following.  
  
**  
  
Lily awoke late the next morning to someone warm lying behind her. She smiled and rolled over, expecting to se Allison who had stayed the night before. But it wasn't Allison.  
  
"James?" Lily said, squinting against the rays of sun filtering through the gap in her curtains.  
  
James was sitting up, his back resting against the bed-head. His knees were drawn up and he was looking out into space, a peaceful look on his face. He looked down at Lily and smiled.  
  
"Morning." He said softly. Lily sat up slightly and smiled.  
  
"Morning. How did it go last night?" she asked. James sighed and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, not too bad." He said. He stretched and Lily watched him for a moment. He seemed uncertain about something.  
  
"What's the matter?" she asked, sitting up properly. James looked at her.  
  
"Who said anything's the matter?" he asked. Lily chuckled.  
  
"You're face. Come on, spill." She said. James considered her for a moment, before he got up of the bed and walked over to the window, looking out at the grounds through the small break in the curtains. The sun reflected on his glasses, making him look very dignified. His hands were folded behind his back and his posture was confident.  
  
"I've just...been thinking a lot." He said. Lily watched him and continued to stay silent. "This matter with the Order, plus exams and Remus and...other things." He said. He turned and looked at Lily. "I need a Pensieve." He said, smirking. Lily chuckled, got up off the bed and walked over to him. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle. She kissed his shoulder and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"Don't take the entire world on your shoulders James. Its not your job." She said. James said nothing. He just continued to look out the window. "James, I mean it. I don't want you getting in a rut over things you can't control." She said firmly. James smiled and turned slightly.  
  
"OK mum." He joked. Lily smiled and turned him around fully.  
  
"I serious. People like you are in short supply. I don't want you broken like so many people already are." She said, looking up at him, her emerald green ones staring seriously into his brown ones. James smiled, leant down and kissed her.  
  
"Ok. I'll try to be reckless, big-headed and immature." He said. Lily smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.  
  
"Good." She said, hugging him tightly.  
  
They just stood there for a few moments. Holding each other and enjoying the warmth the other was providing when Lily broke away and looked up at James, her eyebrow rose.  
  
"How did you get in here anyway?" she asked. James smirked.  
  
"I met Allison in the hallway. She told me the password. Reluctantly, but she told me." He said. Lily laughed and kissed him again.  
  
"So, what are we going to do today?" She asked. She let go of him and walked over to her closet, looking through her arrangement of clothing. James smiled, watching her fuss over what she was going to wear.  
  
"Dunno. Maybe we can go for a fly. There's no training sessions this weekend, so we can have the pitch to ourselves." He said. Lily nodded and tossed a pain of jeans out onto her bed.  
  
"Sounds good. But I'll have to borrow a broom." She said. James chuckles and put his hands in his pockets.  
  
"I'll get one out of the closet for you when we get down there.' He said. 'Oh the cleverness of you, dating the captain of the Quidditch team. The advantages are innumerable." He said in a dramatic tone. Lily laughed and threw a top onto the bed.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure. But right now, you have to leave." She said, turning around and walking over to her bedside table, picking up her brush.  
  
"Why?" James asked, watching her walk around the room.  
  
"Because I'm getting changed and I don't want you looking at me half naked." She said. James chuckled as Lily began shoo-ing him out of the room. "Besides, we did make a promise to Dumbledore that we would try and control our teenage sexual urges." She said in a mock-posh tone as she opened the door for him. James laughed and bent down to kiss her.  
  
"Alright. I'll see you down there." He said. He kissed her quickly and walked out of the room.  
  
Lily smiled at the closed door for a moment, before she shook herself out of her daze and continued to get dressed.  
  
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*Yes, I know. Yet again, I have delivered another meaningless chapter. But oh well, they can be fun.  
  
And, can I just express my complete excitement about the new trailer being out! I nearly wet myself, and all I can say is...GO HERMIONE!  
  
Please Review! 


	19. Chapter 19

*Wow, chapter 19! Thanks for sticking with me guys. You're awesome!  
  
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"Sirius? Sirius?" Lily whispered, shaking Sirius slightly. He snorted, mumbled something but otherwise continued to sleep. Lily rolled her eyes and prodded him in the side.  
  
"No, I want to hold the bunny." He whined softly. Lily snorted and hit him.  
  
"Sirius!" she yelled. He jumped, his eyes flew open and he looked around madly.  
  
"What?" he asked, looking up at her with groggy eyes. Lily was looking down at him, trying desperately not to laugh. Once he realized who it was, he smiled and wiped his mouth. "Ah, Lillian. How wonderful it is to wake up to your lovely face." He said, sitting up.  
  
Lily smiled as she watched him move the papers from around him. He was sitting at one of the desks in the Common Room, and he had apparently fallen asleep in the middle of studying the night before.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure it is. We're you down here all night?" she asked, making a space on the desk for her to sit down. Sirius nodded and yawned.  
  
"Yeah. I thought I could stay awake." He said. Lily nodded and picked up a piece of parchment.  
  
"Have you seen James at all?" she asked, reading lightly over his Charms notes. Sirius shook his head.  
  
"Nope. He said yesterday about wanting to do something, but he wouldn't tell me what." He said, wiping his eyes. Lily looked down at Sirius with amazement.  
  
"He wouldn't tell you? YOU?" she asked. Sirius chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"I know! I was surprised, but I figure he's got his reasons." He said casually. Lily chuckled, but was still slightly shaken by this. Since when did James not share anything with Sirius?  
  
"Ok then. I guess I should let you get back to your 'studying'." Lily said, hoping off the desk. Sirius chuckled, stood up and stretched.  
  
"Yeah, sure." He said, scratching his stomach and yawning again. Lily chuckled, patted him on the stomach and walked out of the common room.  
  
**  
  
Lily had been walking around the castle for what seemed like hours. She had been asking around if anyone had seen James, and no-one had. She had even asked Professor Dumbledore, but he had not seen him either. She was starting to worry.  
  
Lily walked around the corner of the 7th floor and bumped hard into someone, making her stumble and fall over backwards.  
  
"Ow. Dammit." She grumbled, looking at her hands to make sure they weren't grazed. She looked up to see who she had run into. "James!" she said. He was looking down at her, apparently horrified at the prospect of hurting her.  
  
"Lily! Oh god, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going!" he said, bending down to help her. She smiled at him and allowed him to help her up.  
  
"Its alright. Although I don't think I'll be able to sit properly for a few hours." She said, rubbing her backside. James smiled and kissed her cheek. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you for ages. No one knew where you were." She said, looking up at him. James looked away quickly and began leading her back down the hall she had just walked down.  
  
"Yeah, well I didn't want to be interrupted." He said. Lily looked at him with confusion.  
  
"What are you up to?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. James chuckled and smirked.  
  
"Nothing." He said evasively. Before Lily could press the matter, James reached into his robes and pulled out a newspaper. "Come on, let's go. I've got something to show you." He said excitedly.  
  
Lily said nothing, as he led her off down the hall.  
  
**  
  
"Ok, two drops of dragon's blood...' Remus said, reclining on the couch.  
  
"Yep, got that. Next?" Sirius said, taking notes next to him.  
  
"A shred of Unicorn Horn...3 trolls hairs...4 drops of...'  
  
"Moony, slow down! I'm not a bloody secretary." Sirius said, writing furiously on his piece of parchment. Remus laughed.  
  
"Well, you should know all this." He said. Sirius smirked.  
  
"Yeah, I should." He said airily, writing down the last line of the ingredients. Remus smiled and hit him lightly over the back of the head. Sirius laughed and went to retort, when Allison walked into the room.  
  
"Hello my sweet." Sirius said, discarding his quill. Allison smiled and walked over to him.  
  
"Hey. Hi Remus." She said. Remus nodded in response and Allison turned back to Sirius. "I need to ask you something." She said. Sirius nodded.  
  
"Ok." He said. Allison smiled and held up a piece of paper clutched in her hand.  
  
"Did you write to my father and ask for permission to date me?" she asked. In a split second, Sirius's expression changed from one of humor, to nervousness. The entire common room that was seconds ago buzzing with noise was now quite silent. Sirius looked at Remus next to him. He looked as though he was trying very hard not to laugh.  
  
"Er,' he said, turning back to Allison. But to his relief, she didn't look mad. "What...what makes you say that?" he asked. Allison raised an eyebrow, lifted the piece of paper up, cleared her throat and read out loud:  
  
"Dear Allison,  
  
How are you? Your mother and I are doing just fine. I thought I should write to you and let you know that you have found yourself quite a fine young man. Imagine my utter surprise when I received a letter from a boy at your school, asking for my blessing to be able to date you!  
  
I must say, I was rather shocked at this at first, but I very much respect his honor. I have of course, written to him and given my answer, and I thought I should write to you and do the same. Although I have not met Sirius, I would like to say that he sounds very admirable and respectable, and I would like to wish the best of luck to both of you.  
  
Just remember to behave as you are expected, and don't do anything I wouldn't do. I look forward to meeting him when you return home.  
  
Best wishes, Mum and Dad."  
  
Allison finished, folded up the piece of paper and placed it in her pocket. She looked at Sirius with expectation. Sirius felt himself going rather red.  
  
"Er, well...I thought it would be the right thing to do." He muttered. Allison smiled down at him. "You're not mad?" he asked. Allison chuckled and shook her head.  
  
"Of course not. It's just...old fashioned. Its very sweet." She said. Sirius let out a sigh of relief and felt himself relax.  
  
"Good stuff." He said. He stood up, grabbed Allison and kissed her. Remus laughed and the entire Common Room, deciding they didn't really want to watch this anymore, went back to what they were doing.  
  
Sirius pulled back form Allison and smiled. She had a dopey happy expression on her face. She looked over his shoulder and her eyes widened.  
  
"Oh, potions work! I need help with that!" she let go of Sirius and sat down in his spot next to Remus. "Is this all yours?" she asked, leafing through the notes. Remus nodded.  
  
"Most of it." He said. Allison smiled.  
  
"Nice, very nice. You can sit by me." She said. Remus laughed and Sirius rolled his eyes.  
  
"Move over, and we can do it together." He said. Allison moved over slightly and they got back to work.  
  
***  
  
"How about this one?" James asked, pointing at a picture. Lily looked at it for a second, before screwing up her face.  
  
"Nah. Too big." She said. James looked at her with amazement.  
  
"Too big? How can anything be too big?" he asked, looking at the picture again.  
  
"We're only 17 James. We don't need all that yet." She said in a final sort of way. James sighed, said something about her being mental and turned the page.  
  
The two teens were lying on their stomachs on the bed in James's room, looking through the Real Estate section of a Muggle newspaper. James had gotten his hands on a recent issue, and suggested that they look for a place together.  
  
"Hmm, how about this?" Lily said, pointing to another picture. "Small, yet spacious. Nice part of London too." She said, reading the details. James frowned slightly.  
  
"I don't know. Seems a bit...granny-ish." He said. Lily snorted.  
  
"Granny-ish? Its beautiful!" she said, stroking the picture as if he had hurt its feelings. James chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, if you're a granny." He said. Lily smiled and sighed.  
  
"Ok, fine. Next page." She said, quickly scanning the page before James turned it over. They leant in and looked at the new page, before James sighed in defeat.  
  
"Look, no offense, but I really don't like any of these." He said. Lily looked at him.  
  
"Really?" she asked. James nodded and Lily let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"Oh thank god. Neither do I." She said. James laughed as Lily grabbed the paper, screwed it up and threw it at the opposite wall.  
  
"Ok then, let's look in the Prophet." He said, reaching for the paper next to him. He flipped to the estate section and smiled as he laid it in front of them. The two of them scanned the page and James smiled.  
  
"See? Much better. Not only are they pretty, but they move." He said, tilting the page slightly. Indeed, the pictures were not stationary, but the tress blew with the wind and people walked by periodically and waved happily up at them. Lily chuckled and shook her head.  
  
"No, none of these. Next!" she said, yelling the last part. James chuckled and turned the page. The two of them scanned the page, before their eyes landed on the same picture at the same time, and their eyes widened.  
  
"Are you seeing the same one I am?" Lily whispered. James nodded slowly, ripped the section of the paper out and placed it in front of him.  
  
"Engorgio." He said, pointing his wand at it. The article enlarged 10 times, giving the two of them a better view of the house. "Wingardium Leviosa." James said, levitating the piece of paper in front of them, so they could now look at it like a massive poster.  
  
The two of them sat up properly and looked up at the picture in awe.  
  
It was a beautiful two story house, with a well cared for garden complementing the front. The trees surrounding gave it a homely appearance and the sun was reflecting off the windows, a lazy late afternoon feeling emitting from it.  
  
"Oh James..." Lily said softly. "Its...'  
  
"...Magnificent." James finished. Lily nodded mutely and the two of them stood up and looked at it for a few minutes longer in silence.  
  
"This is it." James said in a confident voice. "This is our house." He said. Lily looked at him quickly, before back at the picture. She read the description underneath it and sighed.  
  
"No way. Have you seen the price tag on this thing?" she asked, pointing at the bottom. James tore his eyes away from the building to look at the price tag.  
  
"Three-hundred and forty five thousand Galleons." He said. "That's not a problem." He said causally and looked back up at the house. Lily looked at him with shock.  
  
"You can't afford that!" she exclaimed. James smirked.  
  
"Oh cant I?" he challenged, still looking at the photo. Lily continued to stare at him with amazement.  
  
"Are...are you telling me you can buy that? Without a loan?" she asked. James smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yep. No worries." He said. Lily blinked and shut her mouth hastily, realizing it was wide open. "This is our house Lily. And in Godric's Hollow too. You can't get much better than that." He said, reading the description again. Lily smiled.  
  
"So, I'll send an owl tomorrow, letting them know of our interest shall I?" he asked, turning to look at her finally. Lily nodded.  
  
"Yeah, sounds good." She said. James smiled, waved his wand at the picture and it returned back to its original size. It landed placidly in his hand and he smiled down at it. He turned to face Lily.  
  
"So, we're really doing this." He said, looking up at her. She smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. We are." She said dreamily. Until now, the prospect of them moving in together had been still dream like. It had seemed like a far-away possibility. But now, it was so real. They were actually doing this.  
  
James stared giggling and he hugged Lily. She laughed and hugged him back as he twirled her around in a circle.  
  
When he finally put her down, they just stared at each other for a few moments, before Lily suddenly got curios.  
  
"Am I ever going to know how much you're worth?" she asked. James chuckled and slipped the newspaper cutting in his pocket.  
  
"I might tell you one day." He said, smirking. Lily chuckled and nodded, knowing she wouldn't get a better answer than that.  
  
"Come on,' he said, running to his desk with a new found excitement. 'As soon as I right this, we'll go to the Owlery and send this with Jasper." He said, writing furiously on a piece of parchment. He hadn't even bothered sitting down. Lily laughed and put her cloak on. James was a rather fast writer.  
  
"Ok. Then we can go tell everyone that we found a place." She said, grabbing her wand and slipping it on her pocket. James smiled, wrote down the last line of the letter and folded his letter up.  
  
"Ok, let's go!" he said, practically dragging Lily out of his room.  
  
Lily laughed and the two of them ran off to send their letter.  
  
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*Yay! Aren't they so cute? I love the Potters. Stupid rat, turning them into... Ahem. Well, anyway, back on topic...I hope you enjoyed it.  
  
Please review! 


	20. Chapter 20

*Chapter 20! And can I just say, I'm overwhelmed by the feedback you guys give me. Its great! And just remember if you ever run across her highness miss Rowling, bow down at the woman's feet!  
  
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"We have to go in there?" Sirius asked, looking apprehensively at the door in front of him.  
  
"Yep. It's a life or death situation." James said next to him, looking at the door also. Remus sighed on the other side of Sirius.  
  
"It seems like a harmless door, but on the other side of it lies our demise. The diabolical end of the famous Marauders." He said. Peter nodded and Sirius sighed.  
  
"Well, I think we therefore should say a few words. The demons that lay beyond this door know not of mercy." He said, laying a hand upon his heart. The other three boys sighed dramatically and followed suit.  
  
"I'll start.' James said. 'I'd like to thank the people of Zonko's, for giving up their time and effort to support rule-breakers such as ourselves...'  
  
"Lily, would you like to say anything?" Sirius said as he noticed Lily walking up to them. She raised an eyebrow, looked between them and the door and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Oh honestly, its only exams for heavens sake." She said, smiling and pushing the door open into the Great hall for their first NEWT's exam. Allison chuckled and followed, leaving the four boys standing there, looking into the room. Remus sighed and bowed.  
  
"Shall we gentlemen?" he said, sticking his chest out. The other three bowed and they walked into the room after the girls.  
  
**  
  
"Well, I think that went quite well. Especially the part about Dementors." James said as he and his 5 friends walked out of the exam 2 hours later. Sirius nodded as Lily linked her arm with James.  
  
"Yeah. I was actually worried about question 16. 'Describe the intricate method for human transfiguration.' I'm not sure if I was thorough enough. You think half a page is enough?" Sirius asked. Allison snorted and took his hand.  
  
"Yeah, I think it might be." She said, wrapping her arm around him. Sirius kissed the top of her head and Peter shivered.  
  
"I only got a few lines! I panicked." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets. Remus laughed.  
  
"Peter, you're hopeless." He said, clapping Peter on the back, making him stumble slightly.  
  
They made their way outside into the sunny grounds to relax before their next exam. Charms. They made their way over to the lake and settled underneath a large tree, each of them taking noted out of their bags, ready to cram a little more.  
  
"Prongs! I've lost my notes on the Bubble-Head charm! Quick!" Sirius said, slightly hysterically, looking around hopelessly. He smirked, reached over and snatched the notes out of James's hand.  
  
"Padfoot! I have to read those!" he said irritably. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"No you don't. You're already a bubble head." He said. James growled, snatched his paper back of Sirius, threw it aside and tackled Sirius to the ground.  
  
Lily picked up the paper and rolled her eyes at the wrestling boys in front of her.  
  
"Boys." She muttered and began reading James's notes.  
  
***  
  
Over the course of the next 3 days, the 7th years were working as hard as they ever had. Their exams were more stressful than their OWL's two years previous. Already, 5 people had gone to pieces, Peter included. He was no nervous in his Potions exam that his potions exploded and singed the examiners eyebrows off.  
  
It was on in the afternoon of their last exam as they left their last exam, that they felt the pressure truly leave their shoulders.  
  
"Prongs, lets go for a run!" Sirius said, grabbing James by the robes as they exited the room. James chuckled.  
  
"A run? Are you insane? I'm buggered!" he said tiredly. Sirius dismissed this statement and grabbed Remus and Peter.  
  
"Come on. In the forest. We can frolic." He said. James, Remus and Peter looked at him with amazement.  
  
"You didn't just say Frolic did you Padfoot?" Remus asked, backing away from him as if he didn't want to be seen with him. Sirius smiled and chuckled.  
  
"Look, I've got all this energy. Please?" he said, tugging on the front of James's robes. James chuckled and grabbed Sirius's arms.  
  
"Padfoot, I'm tired. I want to sleep for the next 4 years. At least!" he said, letting his head droop slightly.  
  
"Oh rubbish. We've been sitting inside for the past three days! Lets get out. Have a run." He said. James considered him for a moment, before rubbing his eyes underneath his glasses.  
  
"Alright. I'm in." he said. Sirius smiled and clapped James on the back.  
  
"Good. How about you Wormtai...' but Sirius didn't finish, as Peter had vanished. "Where'd he go? He was right here." Sirius said, looking around. James and Remus looked over the head of students now filing out of class, but Peter was no where to be seen.  
  
"Strange. He didn't even say bye." Remus said. James frowned, wondering where Peter went.  
  
"Oh well, his loss. You in Moony?" Sirius asked. Remus sighed and nodded.  
  
"Sure. But I'll just watch. I can't change at will like you can." He said. Sirius smiled, clapped Remus on the shoulder and began dragging him off down the hallway, weaving their way between students.  
  
James looked around once more, before following the two boys off down the hall.  
  
**  
  
"So, how did Petunia's wedding go?" Allison asked, platting Lily's long, red hair. Lily snorted and turned the page of her newest issue of Witch Weekly.  
  
"Mum and Dad said it was...how did they put it... 'Exquisitely traditional'." She said, mimicking her mother's voice. Allison laughed and placed a few pins in Lily's hair.  
  
"I'm sure it was. Isn't your sister all like 'yay to rigid rules' and what- not?" she asked. Lily chuckled.  
  
"That's an understatement." She said flatly. Allison nodded and continued to fiddle with Lily's hair.  
  
The two girls were sitting on Lily's bed. Allison was sitting behind Lily, cross-legged. Lily, while allowing Allison to fuss over her hair, was reading an article in her magazine.  
  
"Weren't you invited or something?" she asked. Lily chuckled again.  
  
"Of course I was. Mum and Dad would've had a hernia if I wasn't. But they said it would be best if I didn't go." She said. Allison raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Why?" she chuckled. Lily smiled.  
  
"Well, a few reasons. They knew exams were coming up, so they didn't want to interfere with that.' She said. Allison nodded and tied up Lily's hair. "Plus, I don't really like that Vernon guy. He's just so...blech." She said, waving her hand. Allison snorted and began tracing circles on Lily's back.  
  
"Yeah, that's not confusing at all." She said. Lily laughed.  
  
"Trust me. If you met this guy, you'd understand." She said, closing her book. She threw in onto the floor and leant back against Allison.  
  
"So, its not really a big loss...you not going?" She said. Lily smiled and shook her head.  
  
"Nah. I'm sure they took many photos anyway." She said. Allison nodded and leant back on her hands.  
  
"Lily?" she asked.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Are you excited about moving in with James?" she asked. Allison felt Lily flinch with excitement, knowing the answer before she said anything.  
  
"Are you kidding? It's going to be great! I mean, it's a big step and all. But I'm focusing on the positives." She said. Allison chuckled.  
  
"Yeah. Negatives include marauders walking in and out of your house any time they want." She said. Lily laughed.  
  
"Most likely. And just know that you're welcome over any time you want as well." She said matter-of-factly. Allison smiled.  
  
"Really?" she asked, looking down at Lily. Lily chuckled and hit Allison playfully on the knee.  
  
"Of course dufus. As if I wouldn't let you." She said, chuckling. Allison smiled.  
  
"Oh yeah. Sirius and I will come over and baby-sit little James." She said. Lily laughed.  
  
"Lets just wait for him to pop the question first." She said, fiddling with her watch. Allison chuckled and kissed the crown of Lily's head.  
  
"He will."  
  
**  
  
"You will?" Sirius asked, looking stunned. James rolled his eyes.  
  
"Yes! I didn't just say it to shock you." He said, lying down on his back. Sirius looked down at him and smiled.  
  
"When? How?" he propped, desperate for more information. James chuckled and placed his hands behind his back.  
  
"I don't know. But soon." He said.  
  
James and Sirius were sitting in a clearing of the forbidden forest, having just finished their run. They were quite sure that no-one had noticed Remus leaving twenty minutes before, but they wanted to wait a little longer, until they could be hidden by the dark. The sun was slowly setting on the horizon, signaling the end of another precious day.  
  
Sirius sighed and lay down next to James.  
  
"Prongs?" he asked.  
  
"Hmm?" James asked, closing his eyes and breathing in the fresh air. Sirius hesitated.  
  
"I think Regulus is going to become a Death Eater." He blurted out. James eyes flew open and he turned to look at Sirius.  
  
"Are...are you sure?" he asked, not daring to believe it. Sirius nodded. "But...how?" he asked, frowning slightly.  
  
Sirius took a deep breath and began explaining how he had found his brother and cousin in the forest, talking about how Voldemort was interested in Regulus. James listened without interruption to his best friends concerns.  
  
When Sirius had finished, James let out a breath and ran a hand through the front of his unruly hair, making it stick up even more.  
  
"Gees Sirius.' He muttered. Sirius nodded, picked up a rock and threw it into the bushes. "What...what should we do? I mean, should we go to...'  
  
"No!" Sirius said, cutting him off. "No, no Dumbledore." He said. James sat up and looked down at him with amazement.  
  
"But Sirius...he'd want to know! We've got to...'  
  
"No!" Sirius snapped, sitting up also. "I want to let him play it out. I want to see if he can make he right choice on his own." He said, his eyes boring into James's. James desperately wanted to argue, but bit his tongue, knowing that Sirius was stubborn.  
  
"Alright." He sighed, running a hand through his hair again. "Alright. We'll see how things play out." He said. Sirius nodded and smiled.  
  
"Thanks mate." He said, clapping him on the arm. James smiled, looked up at the sky and sighed.  
  
"Come on. Lets get some food. I'm starving." He said, standing up. Sirius chuckled and stood up also.  
  
"Tell me about it. I'm so hungry I could eat a deer." He said. James looked at him with a horrified expression.  
  
"That's not funny. Don't joke about things like that." He said, smiling. Sirius laughed, threw his arm around James's shoulders and the tow boys made their way up to dinner.  
  
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* Ah, the good old boys! Don't ya just love 'em?  
  
Please review! 


	21. Chapter 21

* Yay, chapter 21! Wow. For all those people who are getting bored, never fear! This story is soon to end. And for all those people who are in love with it, I apologize.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Lily looked down at the parcel in front of her. She paced around and looked back at her watch, counting down the minutes.  
  
6:28.  
  
She sighed impatiently and sat down on the bed next to the parcel. She looked at it, picked up the note that had come with it and read it again.  
  
'Don't open this until 6:30 exactly.' Was all it said.  
  
Lily of course, knew who it was from. She had recognized James's writing as soon as she looked at it. His owl Jasper had delivered it half an hour before hand, and ever since then, Lily had been desperate to open it. Since its arrival, she had become more and more curious with each passing minute as to what this parcel contained.  
  
It wasn't really anything special to look at. It was a simple brown paper package tied up with boring old string. But she was still very interested as to what it contained.  
  
She looked at her watch again. 6:29.  
  
Lily was starting to get very impatient. She frowned down at her watch. It seemed that every second took an eternity to pass. As if it were teasing her.  
  
Lily got up off the bed, unable to sit there any longer. She paced around the room again for a few seconds, before stopping again in front of it. She looked down at her watch and counted the seconds.  
  
Three, two, one. 6:30.  
  
Lily tried very hard not to scream with excitement, as she reached quickly for the parcel. She lifted it up, pulled the string and undid it slowly. The string pulled away easily and the paper fell away as the contents of the parcel fell onto her bed.  
  
Lily looked down at it and gasped as she realized what it was.  
  
It was the most beautiful dress Lily had ever seen. It was a jet-black gown with discreet, silver glitter all over it and spaghetti straps. Lily ran her hand along it, marveling at the silky material as it flowed through her fingers like liquid. She picked it up and it unfolded properly. Lily looked down as she noticed a piece of paper flutter from the folds of the dress. She reluctantly put the dress down, bent down to retrieve the paper and read it.  
  
'Meet me on the 7th floor in an hour. Opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.' It said in James's writing. Lily raised an eyebrow at these unusual instructions. What on earth would be the purpose of her getting all dolled up in this exquisite dress just to meet him in front of some old tapestry?  
  
Lily looked down at the dress again and found that she didn't really care, as she was desperate to try the dress on. She dropped the note on the floor, grabbed the dress carefully and went to get ready.  
  
**  
  
Lily walked down the empty hallways of Hogwarts, her heels clicking as she walked. She shivered from both nerves and cold; she wrapped her shawl around her tighter. Lily was feeling rather self-conscious about her surroundings. She knew it would be very difficult to explain why she was out in this dress by herself, headed straight for some deserted hallway. But luckily so far, she had not run into anyone.  
  
As she passed a mirror, she stopped to make one more check on herself. The dress had fitted her extremely well, as if its sole purpose in existence was to be worn by her and her only. Her hair was up and she had two small strands loose to shape her face. She had very simple male-up on, and she had used her best perfume.  
  
Once she was satisfied that she could not look any better, she sighed, drew herself up and continued on her way.  
  
Finally, she arrived at the 7th floor. She found it deserted, save for one person. She knew it was him by the way he stood. He was looking out the window and the moon was reflecting on his glasses. His posture was ready and although she was to far away to make out anything specific, she knew it was him.  
  
As she came closer, her breathing increased as she realized what he was wearing.  
  
He was dressed in a black suit, and it looked very expensive. It must have been tailored especially for him, as it complimented him well. As Lily approached, he turned around and Lily saw that he was wearing a simple shirt with a silver tie. His hair, however was still sticking up. But she hardly cared, as she preferred it that way. He looked very handsome, and the now understood why her mother always preferred a man in a suit.  
  
James's eyes widened as he watched her approach. He folded his hands on front of him and smiled. Lily returned it and walked into the rays of moonlight entering from the windows. James swallowed and walked up to her, closing the remaining distance between them. As he did, Lily noticed that he smelt extremely good.  
  
"Wow." He breathed. 'You look beautiful." He said, flashing her a charming smile that made Lily feel rather weak at the knees. She smiled, reached out and fiddled with his tie.  
  
"You look very pretty as well." She said, smoothing out his jacket. James looked down at himself, and then back up at her.  
  
"Well you know, I try." He said airily. Lily chuckled as James reached inside his jacket and pulled out a single red rose for her. She accepted it with a smiled and he kissed her hand.  
  
"So, are you still curios as to what the hell's going on?" he asked. Lily chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Hell yes! I mean, first you send me this...magnificent dress,' she said, running her hand down her side, ', and then you tell me to meet you here." She said, looking around. "I mean, surely you could have picked a more romantic spot than the 7th floor." She said quietly. James chuckled, put her arm through his and led her down the hallway.  
  
"No way. This is the best possible location." He said. Lily looked up at him with curiosity.  
  
"Ah huh. James, I've seen this tapestry before.' She said as she and James stopped in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. James however, didn't seem put off by this fact. He chuckled, let go of her and took a few paces back.  
  
"Just stand there for a sec." He asked. Lily nodded and tried not to laugh as she watched him pace backwards and forwards in front of the tapestry. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be muttering something to himself.  
  
Lily was about to ask him what all this was about, when a door suddenly appeared in place of the tapestry. James stopped pacing and looked at it was a satisfied expression. Lily looked at it with wide eyes as James opened the door and held his hand out.  
  
"Ladies first." He said. Lily chuckled, curtsied slightly and walked into the room.  
  
Lily's mouth dropped open as she took in the room before her.  
  
It very much resembled the Gryffindor Common Room, with the exception of many students everywhere. There was a beautiful fireplace with flames dancing around happily in it, two large, very comfortable looking couches and a small table for two in the corner. It had a candelabra in the middle, two golden plates and two what looked like to be menus.  
  
Lily continued to gaze around the room as James shut the door behind him and took her shawl off for her. She smiled in thanks and James put it on the back of one of the armchairs.  
  
"Wow. This place is amazing!" Lily said, spinning around in a circle. James chuckled and nodded.  
  
"I know." He said, taking her hand and leading her over to the table. He pulled her chair out for her and she sat down. "Although the last time I was here, it was a broom closet." He said. Lily looked at him with confusion as he sat down opposite her.  
  
"Huh?" she asked. James chuckled and proceeded to explain how the Room of Requirement was just that, and that he hadn't needed a large, luxurious room the last time. He had only needed a place to hide.  
  
"So, you hungry?" he asked, picking up a menu. Lily smiled and did the same, although she didn't know who to give her order to. She read over the meals, each of them sounding as good as the next.  
  
"Hmm, chicken sounds nice." She said. And as she said it, chicken and vegetables appeared on the plate in front of her. "Oh, ok then." She said smiling, putting the menu down. James chuckled and looked at his own menu.  
  
"Steak and kidney pie with gravy and mashed potatoes." He said casually, and it also appeared on his plate. "Great, I'm starving!" He said, tucking a serviette into the front of his shirt. He seized his knife and fork and began cutting up his steak. Lily snorted, laid a serviette in her lap and began eating her own food.  
  
"Honestly, with the amount you eat it's amazing at how fit you are." She said, taking a bite of her chicken. James chuckled and shrugged.  
  
"I'm a growing boy. I need my energy." He said, his mouth half-full of meat. Lily rolled her eyes and continued eating. "So, you like the dress?" he asked, pointing at her with the end of his knife. Lily looked down at herself and nodded.  
  
"Are you kidding? Its beautiful! It must be really expensive though. Who's is it?" she asked.  
  
"Its yours." He said simply. Lily stared at him with wide eyes.  
  
"M-Mine?" she asked. James smiled and nodded.  
  
"Uh-huh. I bought if for you. It looked really good on the hanger but...my lord it looks much better on you." He said, giving her the once over again. Lily blushed and smiled.  
  
"You mean...I can KEEP this?" she asked. James smiled again and nodded.  
  
"Yup. Its all yours!" he said happily. Lily looked at him in admiration, before he stood up and walked over to a small bucket with ice in it. He pulled out a bottle of not wine, but...  
  
"Butterbeer. Sorry, I know it's not fancy. But I couldn't get my hands on anything better." He said, shrugging. Lily chuckled as he poured her some in a champagne glass.  
  
"Its fine." She said. James smiled, gave her a quick kiss on the head and sat back down, pouring his own glass.  
  
They continued to eat and chat casually until both of them found themselves to be quite literally full to the brim. The food had been excellent, and was up to its usual standard. James reclined in his seat, undid his jacket and stretched his lets out.  
  
"Oh man. Those house elves are the best!" he said, patting him stomach. Lily chuckled and rested her elbows on the table.  
  
"Yeah. I think we could definitely use a few." She said. James looked at her and smiled.  
  
"Oh yeah. Twenty at least." He said. Lily smiled.  
  
The two of them sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, before James spun around again and looked at Lily. He had gone quite serious.  
  
"Lily, I...I suppose you're still wondering what all this is about." He said. Lily smiled and shrugged.  
  
"Well, I assumed it's to celebrate us getting the house." She said. The real estate wizard had gotten back to James the day before and announced that the house was pretty much theirs. The two of them were currently going over the details. James smiled and took her hand across the table.  
  
"Well, partly. But...there's another reason." He muttered. Lily sat up a little straighter.  
  
"Oooh, what?" she asked excitedly. James smiled and took a deep breath. He reached for his glass.  
  
"Well...Lily I—damn it!" James exclaimed, jumping out of his chair. His hand had slipped and he had spilt Butterbeer all down his front. "Crap." He cursed, putting the glass down and reaching for a serviette.  
  
"Here. Let me help. Take your jacket off." Lily said, grabbing another cloth and getting up. James did as he was told and rested his jacket over the back of his chair. Lily flipped his tie over his shoulder to get it out of the way and began wiping the front of his shirt.  
  
"You don't have to. I can do it." He chuckled, trying to move her hands away. Lily smiled.  
  
"Nonsense. I don't mind." She said, looking up at him. He laughed and let his arms flop at his side.  
  
"So much for a smooth delivery." He said, referring to his speech. Lily laughed and patted his stomach.  
  
"No problem.' She wiped it a bit more, before sighing in defeat. 'You're going to have to take it off.' She said, standing up straight again and putting her hands on her hips. James nodded, took his tie off and then his shirt. He grabbed Lily's seat from the table, put it in front of the fire and hung the shirt over the back of it. He now stood in his pants and a plain white t-shirt.  
  
"Come on, lets sit down." He said, indicating to one of the large couches. Lily chuckled and kicked off her heels. James sat down and Lily sat down next to him, her legs resting on his lap.  
  
"I hope that shirt wasn't your good one." She said. James chuckled.  
  
"Nah. Just an old one made to look spiffy." He said. Lily laughed and James took her hand again. "Now, where was I?" he asked.  
  
"Um, somewhere around 'Lily I—damn it'." She said smirking. James chuckled and nodded.  
  
"That's right.' And then he went serious again. 'Lily, I can't even begin to put into words how much you mean to me.' He said, looking her hard in the eye. "You're the girl I loved before I even liked girls. You're the one who made me realize how much of a prat I was.' He took her other hand and shifted slightly. 'You're the one who makes me want to be a better man." He said softly. Lily looked at him and smiled warmly. She had that mushy feeling again.  
  
"I did all that for you?" she asked. James nodded.  
  
"That and much more.' He said. 'Lily, you have no idea how much I love you. Sometimes it scares me, you know. The fact that I can care so much for someone is quite amazing.' He said. Lily felt herself beginning to get rather emotional. She knew he was baring his soul to her in the best way he knew how, and she was quite sure that he had never done this with anyone else before.  
  
"So, while thinking this...I-'  
  
"Do you smell something?" Lily asked, cutting him off. She really didn't want to, but it smelt like...smoke.  
  
"My shirt!" James yelled. He jumped off the couch and grabbed his shirt off the back of the chair. It had caught on fire. He had obviously put it too close to the fireplace.  
  
James threw it onto the ground and began jumping on it, trying to put the fire out.  
  
"You need water?" Lily yelled, getting up and looking around furiously. And at that moment, a bucket of water appeared at her feet. And without even beginning to wonder how that had happened, she seized the bucket and threw the water over the shirt, as well as James.  
  
"Oh! Oh, god." she said, putting a hand over her mouth, trying not laugh. James looked at her with a stunned look on his face, his glasses askew on his face. "James...I'm so sorry." Lily chuckled. James fixed his glasses, shook himself off and began laughing.  
  
"That's alright." He said, bending down and picking up his shirt. "I think that's my favorite shirt gone." He said, holding it up and looking at her through the burnt out hole in the middle. Lily burst out laughing and put the bucket down.  
  
"Oh James. You're a mess." She said, pointing at him. James looked down at himself and chuckled.  
  
"Its your fault." He said. He took a step towards her, but instead of grabbing her, he slipped over backwards and landed on his backside. Lily laughed even harder as James grabbed her around the knees, making her fall down on top of him. She sat up and positioned herself on his lap.  
  
"Oh James, you're going to ruin my hair." She joked. James laughed and hugged her, making her get wet. "James, what were you saying?" she asked, wanting desperately to know where he was going with what he was saying. James sobered up and sighed.  
  
"Look, it doesn't matter now. I'm saturated, and its hardly how I planned this evening to go and...'  
  
"No, please." She said, grabbing his wet shirt. James looked up at her and sighed.  
  
"Alright." He sat up a bit more and Lily shifted. She was now sitting in his lap, looking down at him. His hair was causing droplets of water to splash onto his glasses.  
  
"Lily, I love you more than anything. More than food or Quidditch." He said, smirking. Lily chuckled, but otherwise stayed silent. "I brought you here to tell you this...and to possibly ask you something important.' He said quietly. Lily looked down at him and when she didn't say anything, he sighed, reached over to his jacket and pulled something out of the chest pocket. Lily's eyes widened as she looked at it.  
  
It was a small box.  
  
"James...' she breathed.  
  
"Lily, I don't want to spend my life with anyone else.' He said, looking up at her with nervous eyes. 'Every day, I think I cant love you more than the day before. But I somehow find that I can.'  
  
Lily felt herself starting to tear up. James sighed and opened the box to reveal a beautiful yet simple, diamond ring. Lily gasped as she looked down at it. It was exquisite.  
  
"Lillian Paige Evans,' he said ', will you marry me?" he asked. Lily looked down at him, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Did he already know?  
  
"Oh James...' she breathed. 'Of course!" she said. James let out a laugh of amazement.  
  
"You-you will?" he asked. Lily laughed and nodded.  
  
"Yes James! I'll marry you." She said. James laughed again and threw his arms around her. She hugged him tightly for a moment, before he pulled back and kissed her softly.  
  
"Here, lets get up off the floor." Lily said, getting off him. He smiled and stood up. James looked down at her and smiled. He took the ring out of the box, took her left hand and slipped it on her finger. It fitter her perfectly.  
  
"Oh, its beautiful." She said, holding it up out in front of her. James smiled and kissed her again.  
  
"Only the best for you." He said. Lily smiled and kissed the tip of his nose. "I'm er, sorry it wasn't terribly romantic." He said, running a hand through his wet hair and looking down at himself. Lily laughed and shook her head. Her hair was now coming undone and she was slightly wet from James hugging her.  
  
"No. It was the most romantic proposal I've ever had." She said, wrapping her arms around his waist. James raised an eyebrow.  
  
"It's the ONLY proposal you've ever had." He said. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Actually it's not. A boy called Jerry McAndrew proposed to me in grade 3 with a plastic ring he found in a cereal box." She said casually. James looked down at her stunned for a moment, before chuckling.  
  
"Well, I'm glad you said no." he said, resting his chin on the top of her head. Lily chuckled and rested her head in the crook of his shoulder.  
  
"So am I." She whispered.  
  
And the two of them began swaying to no music, each of them marveling in the moment they had found themselves in.  
  
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*Aw, how cute! Don't ya just love them?  
  
By the way, for those who have asked me about it...yes the new trailer for POA is out! Its at the official website, along with many others. If you haven't seen it, what are you doing reading this? Go! Run like the wind!  
  
Please Review. 


	22. Chapter 22

* Chapter 22! Wow, the last one was so fun! I'm overwhelmed by the feedback I'm getting. I hope I'm improving as a writer and can entertain you all.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
"OH MY BLOODY GOD!" Allison screamed. She jumped up off the couch and threw herself onto lily, causing the two of them to stumble backwards. Lily laughed and patted her best friend on the back.  
  
"Yes, ok. Oxygen becoming an issue, Allison." She choked. Allison let go of Lily and smiled apologetically. James chuckled as Remus got up off the couch and clapped James on the back, shaking his hand vigorously.  
  
"Congratulations Prongs." He said happily. James chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Thanks Mate." He said.  
  
James and Lily had just returned from the Room of Requirement, desperate to let their friends in on their good news. They were far too excited to keep it to themselves. But no-one else seemed to have noticed the oddness of their Head Boy and Girl walking into the room in formal wear. Not to mention one soaking wet.  
  
"Oooh! Let me see!" Allison said, seizing Lily's hand. She chuckled and showed off her ring, flashing it at different angles. James looked around.  
  
"Where's Sirius?" he asked. Remus smiled.  
  
"He went out for another run. That boys' got a lot of pent-up energy." He chuckled. James chuckled, but felt kind of disappointed.  
  
"Oh Lily, its beautiful!" Allison said, hugging Lily again. Lily laughed and embraced her friend warmly.  
  
"Isn't it just? I nearly had a heart attack when I saw it." She said. Remus walked over to Lily and kissed her cheek.  
  
"Congrats Lils." He said. Lily chuckled and hugged him as Allison ran over to James.  
  
"Thanks Remus. Did you know that he was going to propose?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Remus chuckled and shook his head.  
  
"Oh no. Well, he said he was thinking about it, but I didn't know it was going to be tonight." He said. Lily smiled and looked around.  
  
"No Sirius and Peter?" she asked. Remus shook his head.  
  
"Sadly no. Peter has once again run off somewhere, and Sirius is indisposed." He said. Lily chuckled and looked over at James, who had dried off slightly. She could tell that although he was very happy, he was rather disappointed that Sirius wasn't there.  
  
He looked over at her and smiled. She smiled back and walked over to him.  
  
**  
  
"Let go of me!" Regulus yelled.  
  
"No! Tell me the truth." Sirius snarled.  
  
Sirius had actually gone for a run, but the events that had led him to pinning his brother up against the wall by his robes was a huge blur. The second he had seen him, he had suddenly become rather angry.  
  
"Let me go! I don't have to tell you anything!" he yelled, pushing Sirius off him. Sirius reluctantly let him go and took a step back.  
  
"I saw you and Bella in the forest! Don't make me out to be dumb, Regulus. I know what she wants you to do." He said, pointing an angry finger at him. Regulus straightened his robed and rolled his eyes.  
  
"Since when do you care what I do?" he snapped. Sirius took a step forward again.  
  
"Since your stupid actions could result in my friends getting hurt, that's when.' He said. Sirius ran a hand through his hair and looked at Regulus, his anger fading slightly. "Regulus, you are so much smarter than this. You know that this isn't...'  
  
'The right path for you. Don't get yourself into this...blah blah blah. I know all this Sirius." Regulus said in a bored tone. Sirius felt himself flare up again, but he tried to stay calm.  
  
"You think this is a joke? You think innocent people getting killed is fun?" he asked, not sure whether or not he wanted to hear his brother's answer. Regulus chuckled bitterly.  
  
"Get over yourself Sirius. Your beliefs are your own." He said, and began walking off.  
  
"Oh no. We're not done yet!" Sirius yelled and grabbed Regulus's arm. As he did, Regulus winced slightly.  
  
Sirius looked down at him with horror. He grabbed his arm properly and ripped his sleeve back to reveal the Dark Mark, burnt freshly onto his forearm. Sirius stared down at it for what seemed an eternity. Regulus ripped his arm from Sirius's grasp and looked up at his brother with an expression Sirius couldn't read. Was it fear?  
  
"I...I cant believe this." He whispered. Regulus sighed.  
  
"This is my choice brother. I chose the path of power." He said. Sirius looked at his brother, not able to say anything. Regulus smirked, rolled his shirt back up to cover the mark and sighed again. "I know you wont tell anyone. You're too noble." He said. Sirius continued to stare. "Goodnight Sirius. See you around." Regulus said. And he waved politely and walked off down the hallway.  
  
Sirius watched the hallway, long after Regulus had disappeared. His mind was in overdrive. 'He's a Death eater. My brother...a Death Eater!' he thought, over and over again. Each time it seemed less real.  
  
Finally, realizing he could stay there no longer, he shoved his hands in his pockets and began his walk back to Gryffindor Tower.  
  
**  
  
"Sirius! Mate, finally!" James said, jumping off the couch. James grabbing him by the arms jolted Sirius out of his thoughts. "Mate, I've...well WE'VE got the best news." He said. Sirius chuckled weakly at his best friends excitement and pried his arms away.  
  
"What?" he asked tiredly. James waved for Lily to join him. She got up excitedly off the couch and walked over to his side. James wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulders and they looked happily at Sirius, both of them smiling broadly.  
  
"We are officially engaged." He said, and Lily stuck her hand out to show him the ring.  
  
Immediately, all thoughts of Regulus were driven from his mind as he looked down at the ring on Lily's finger.  
  
"Prongs! That's incredible! Congratulations!" he yelled happily, grabbing the two of them in a three-person hug. Lily laughed and hugged him back. Sirius released them and looked down at the ring. "Wow, that's some rock!" Sirius said, taking her hand. "Moony, Wormtail, have you seen this?" he asked, looking behind the couple at Remus and Peter. They nodded, smiling broadly. Sirius let go of Lily's hand and ran a hand through his hair, letting out an impressed breath.  
  
"Tell me, was he a wreck?" Sirius asked, smirking. Lily laughed and shook her head.  
  
"Well, it wasn't as smooth as it could have been." She said, chuckling. Sirius laughed at James, who had gone a little pink, bent down and kissed Lily gently on the cheek.  
  
"Its great news love." He said. Lily smiled and rubbed Sirius on the arm.  
  
"Thanks." She said. She gave James a meaningful glance, before squeezing his hand and walking back over to Remus and Peter. James sighed and indicated for Sirius to follow. Sirius gave one last glace at Lily, before following James out of the common room and a short distance down the hallway.  
  
Once they were alone, James let out a breath and leant against the wall, his left foot resting on it. Sirius stood in front of him.  
  
"So, were you a nervous wreck?" Sirius asked, smirking. James chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"Are you kidding? I've never been so scared in my life." He said. Sirius laughed and crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"As if she would have said no." he said. James smiled and adjusted his glasses.  
  
"Yeah well, there's always a risk." He said. Sirius smiled and James chuckled excitedly. "Can you believe this Padfoot? She's going to be my WIFE!" he said, smiling like all his Christmas's had come at once. Sirius smiled and walked over to stand next to James.  
  
"Think about it. Mrs. Lily Potter." He said, holing his hands out for effect. James smiled and nodded.  
  
"I like the sound of that." He said dreamily. Sirius chuckled and put his hands in his pockets.  
  
"What do you reckon her parents will say?" he asked. James's smile faded slightly.  
  
"Probably what they said about us moving in together. They were rather apprehensive at first, but they got used to the idea. Hopefully they will be accepting." He said. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, and if they're not...just run off together like you've been planning to." He said, smirking. James snorted and hit Sirius playfully in the chest with the back of his hand.  
  
"No. We're going to do it properly. Wedding, reception...the works. Anything she wants." He said.  
  
"What about what you want?" Sirius asked. James smiled.  
  
"I've already got what I want." He said. Sirius smiled and looked at James with admiration. James cleared his throat. "So, I guess the next step is...I've got something to ask you." James said, turning to Sirius.  
  
"Sorry Prongs, but I'm betrothed to another. I'm waiting for Moony to come out." He said. James chuckled and shook his head.  
  
"No idiot. I was wondering...if you'd er,' he stuttered. Sirius smiled and James chuckled nervously.  
  
"I was wondering if you'd stand up with me.' He said quietly, looking at Sirius with nerves. Sirius went dead serious and looked at James with slight amazement. "Will you be my best man?" he asked, even quieter. Sirius let out an amazed breath and bowed respectfully.  
  
"It would be an honor James." He said. James let out a breath of relief and smiled broadly.  
  
"Great. I wouldn't have it any other way." He said. Sirius chuckled, threw his arms around James's shoulders and kissed his cheek.  
  
"Come on you old softie. Lets get inside and celebrate."  
  
**  
  
"Excuse me? Um, everyone?" Peter asked. He was standing on one of the footstools, trying to get everyone in the common room's attention. But he apparently was not shouting loud enough, as no one was paying him the slightest bit of attention.  
  
"Hello? People?" he asked again, slightly louder. Sirius rolled his eyes and stood up.  
  
"Like this Wormtail. OI! SHUT-UP!" Sirius bellowed. Everyone shut-up instantly. "Good. Now that we have your attention, I have an announcement to make." He looked down at Lily and James, who were sitting next to each other, hands linked. "I am proud to announce, that our esteemed and wonderful Head Boy and Girl, not to mention two of my best friends, are no longer actually boyfriend and girlfriend." He said in mock disappointment. Everyone had looks of horror on their faces, except for Remus, Peter, James and Lily.  
  
"Yes my friends, it is true. They are in-fact, now officially engaged and therefore soon to be married." He said happily, beaming down at the couple.  
  
The common room immediately recovered from the shock and broke out in enthusiastic applause. James chuckled and he and Lily stood up.  
  
"Thank you. I know, none of you expected this at all!" James said sarcastically. Everyone laughed and he went on. "So, I just wanted to let you all know, that I love this woman and she is soon to become Mrs. James Potter." He said, looking at Lily with admiration. Everyone applauded again and Remus stood up.  
  
"Ok, everyone raise your wands! To Lily and James!" he said, raising his wand. Everyone echoed him and red sparks came out of their wands. James chuckled, grabbed Lily, dipped her and kissed her. Lily chuckled against him and everyone applauded again.  
  
Sirius, satisfied that they had gotten the attention they deserved, sat back down on the couch next to Remus.  
  
"Well, now we just have to wait for you to propose to Allison." Remus said, putting his wand away. Sirius turned his head so quick it cracked.  
  
"W-What? I-I don't think so. At least not for a while." He said, running a hand through his hair. Remus chuckled and shrugged.  
  
"Well, when-ever your ready." He said. Sirius went to comment further, when someone jumped on his lap, making him let out a grunt.  
  
"Oh, have you heard? Isn't it great? They're finally getting married!" Allison said excitedly, wrapping her arms around his neck. Sirius chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist.  
  
"I know. And think of the great Bachelor party's and Hens night's we get to plan." He said, a mischievous grin creeping up his face. Allison chuckled and Remus shivered.  
  
"I hate to imagine what you would do to him Padfoot." He said, stretching his legs out. Sirius smirked and watched James. They were standing close together and the two of them were talking in low voices.  
  
"Nothing more than he deserves." He said. Allison looked down at him with apprehension.  
  
"Ok, you DO know that's your best friend." She said. Sirius chuckled and kissed the bottom of her chin.  
  
"No, he's not." He said. Allison looked down at him with confusion, but Sirius continued to watch James with admiration.  
  
"He's my brother."  
  
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*Yay! A wedding, I love weddings! Drinks all around!  
  
Ahem, anyways...I thought I would put a little limbo chapter in again. Thanks for reading so far.  
  
Please Review. 


	23. Chapter 23

* Yay, 23! Man, just keeps going on doesn't it? ECHO! Lol, anyways, I'll be wrapping this story up soon. So, would anyone like me to write a sequel to this? About their wedding day for example? Let me know!  
  
********************************************************************  
  
Two days before they were to leave, Lily and James were sitting out in the grounds, enjoying their last days of adolescence and teenage freedom. It was such a nice day that James had organized for the two of them to have a picnic together underneath the large tree near the lake.  
  
"James?" Lily asked, reclining back onto her hands. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she had sunglasses on.  
  
"Hmm?" he asked, taking a sip of his Butterbeer.  
  
"Do you want to have sex?" she asked. James spat out his Butterbeer and looked at Lily with shock.  
  
"N-now?" he stuttered, looking at her with wide-eyes. Lily laughed and wiped away a drop of Butterbeer from his chin.  
  
"No, not now! Just...in general. I mean, are you ready?" she asked. James let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair, relieved that she did not want to have wild sex with him in front of the entire castle.  
  
"Well, if I told you I haven't thought about it I'd be lying." He said. "But, I guess...maybe I am." He said. Lily sighed and looked slightly put out.  
  
"Yeah, I thought so." She said.  
  
"But...' James said a little louder, 'I was actually thinking we could wait until our wedding night. Just to make it more special." He said, shifting closer to her. 'If that's alright by you." He said. Lily smiled at him, leant in and kissed him.  
  
"Definitely." She said. James smiled warmly and fed a strawberry to her.  
  
"So, the house is going to be ready in about a week." James said, taking another sip of his drink. Lily's face lit up.  
  
"Really? That soon?" she asked, crossing her legs. James nodded and Lily chuckled happily. "Fantastic! I can't wait! Even though that means we'll have to go our separate ways in two days time." She said sadly. James nodded.  
  
"Yeah. But then we have the rest of our lives together." He said. Lily smiled and leant towards him again.  
  
"That's the best bit." She said, pressing her nose against his. James smirked and kissed her.  
  
"I know, Mrs. Potter." He said. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Mr. Evans." She said, throwing a cork at him. James chuckled and threw it back at her.  
  
"Hey, I think your dad hates me enough as it is, let alone taking his name." He said. Lily snorted.  
  
"He doesn't hate you." She said. "He's just...shaken. I mean, his oldest has just gotten married, and now you're taking his baby away." She said. James smiled.  
  
"But seriously. You think they're alright with it?" he asked. Lily chuckled and took a sip of James's drink.  
  
"Um, yeah. I'd say so." She said. James chuckled.  
  
The night before, James and Lily had flooed back to Lily's house to break the news to her parents. They had been absolutely gob-smacked at first, but after the shock wore off (which was only a few seconds long), they had been extremely supportive. James, having never actually met them was quite nervous at meeting her father. But luckily for him, he was welcomed with open arms.  
  
"Does Petunia know?" he asked, smirking. Lily snorted.  
  
"Yeah. No doubt mum and dad told her." She said. James nodded.  
  
There was a comfortable silence between the two of them, before James drained his bottle and let out a satisfied sigh.  
  
"Well, I think that was quite satisfactory." He said, lying down on his back and folding his hands behind his head. Lily chuckled and sat down next to him.  
  
"Wait 'till you try my cooking." She said cockily. James shook his head.  
  
"No. You shall not lift a finger." He said. Lily pouted.  
  
"You have to let me sometimes. I don't want to feel like a complete old wash-rag." She said. James chuckled and pulled her down.  
  
"You could never be an old wash-rag." He said. Lily chuckled and kissed him.  
  
"Come on, we've got to get ready." She said, getting up. James sighed and sat up also. They were going to tell James's parents about their engagement that afternoon. "You think they'll like me?" Lily asked, playing with her hair. James snorted and stood up.  
  
"Of course they will. And too bad if they don't." he said. Lily chuckled and helped pack up.  
  
**  
  
"Are you sad to be leaving?" Allison asked, looking at Sirius next to her. He sighed and nodded.  
  
"Definitely. I mean, aren't you?" he asked. Allison nodded and turned back to look out in front of her.  
  
Sirius and Allison were in the highest outdoor hallway that the castle possessed, leaning against the wall and looking out into the grounds at all the students. They, like James and Lily, had decided to spend a few hours alone.  
  
"It IS going to be sad. I mean...you can get away with so much here. But out there's responsibilities." She said, shivering at the very thought. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"I know. We're actually going to have to behave like...adults." He said, cringing at the word. Allison chuckled and bumped him slightly with her hip. He chuckled and looked at her, but she had suddenly gone serious.  
  
"I'm sorry. For being such a bitch to you all these years." She said quietly, not looking at him. Sirius smirked.  
  
"I thought we were past all this. I told you, its fine." He chuckled. Allison smiled weakly.  
  
"Yeah but...if I hadn't have dismissed you so easily...' she trailed off and turned to looked at him. ' There's been so much time wasted Sirius." She said. "We could have been together years ago if I hadn't...'  
  
"Ok, stop right there." He said firmly. He took her hands and looked her in the eye. "Don't start dwelling on 'What If's' or things that might have been. All that matters is that we're together NOW." He said. Allison considered him for a moment, before smiling and nodding.  
  
"You're right." She said. Sirius chuckled and put his hand on her waist.  
  
"Of course I am." He said. Allison chuckled as he took her hand and they began dancing without music  
  
"Why do birds suddenly appear, every time you are near...just like me, they long to be, close to you." Sirius sang low in her ear. Allison chuckled at his utter lack of singing ability, but he wasn't deterred.  
  
"Why do stars fall down from the sky, every time, you walk by...just like me, they long to be, close to you." He continued. Allison smiled and pulled back to look at him properly as they continued to sway.  
  
"On the day that you were born the angels got together, and decided to create a dream come true...so they sprinkled moon-dust in your hair, and starlight in your eyes of blue."  
  
"That is why all the boys in town, follow you, all around...just like me, they long to be, close to you." Allison chuckled and kissed him.  
  
"Don't give up your day job honey." She said. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"No good?" he asked. Allison snorted.  
  
"No comment." She said. Sirius laughed, spun around and dipped her. Allison chuckled as he pulled her back up.  
  
"Where did we learn to dance Mr. Black?" she asked. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"Mrs. Potter taught me a few summers ago. She's quite a god dancer y'know." He said. Allison smiled.  
  
"I'm sure she is. She must be a good teacher as well if she could teach you anything." She said, smirking. Sirius sighed dramatically.  
  
"Will there ever be a day where you never question my abilities?" he asked. Allison chuckled and looked at her watch over his shoulder.  
  
"Come on, let's go find Remus. Poor guy all by himself." She said. Sirius spun her again, kissed her hand and nodded.  
  
"Very well. However I would like to take this moment to say I HAVE been telling the guy to get himself a nice girl. I'm starting to wonder about him." He said. Allison chuckled, linked her arm with his and they began walking down the stairs.  
  
"Yes, I think he should. Not just for the sake of having one though. He deserves it." She said. Sirius nodded and they stayed in silence for a few moments, before...  
  
"AHHHHH, close to you!"  
  
"Ok, that's enough."  
  
***  
  
Dinner that night was a rather sober affair. The feeling that the 7th years would soon be leaving was hanging over the younger students like a bad smell. And the fact that the Marauders were leaving made it even worse.  
  
"So, are you 4 going to go out with a bang this year?" Allison asked, taking a bite of her pie. The 4 boys exchanged a glance and shook their heads.  
  
"No, not this year.' Sirius said. Allison snorted.  
  
"Yeah, sure." She said.  
  
"No seriously. James is Head Boy, and if we do anything to incriminate ourselves...'  
  
"Hasn't stopped you before." Lily said, cutting Peter off. He chuckled nervously and Remus sighed.  
  
"No, he's right. We're just going to do a short speech, and that will be it." He said. Lily watched Remus for signs of a lie, but his face betrayed nothing. She looked at the four boys with suspicion, before shaking her head.  
  
"I'll believe it when I see it." She said. James chuckled and kissed her cheek.  
  
"You know, that's what's wrong with the kids of today. No faith in anything." Sirius said, smirking at Lily. She laughed and threw her pie- crust at him.  
  
***  
  
"Well, I don't think your meeting with my parents could have gone any better if we had planned it." James said. Lily chuckled.  
  
"We DID plan it." She said. James leant forwards.  
  
"Oh yeah. Silly me." He whispered and kissed her.  
  
After dinner, the group had split up. James had decided to walk Lily back to her room, and the rest had returned to Gryffindor Tower for some last- minute mischief.  
  
Lily pulled back and stroked James's cheek with her hand.  
  
"Did you...wanna come in?" she asked. James looked down at her. She was looking at him with an expression he couldn't read.  
  
"Er, maybe I shouldn't." he whispered. Lily sighed and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, ok." She said. James kissed her once more and took a step back.  
  
"I'll er, see you tomorrpmh." He was cut off abruptly by Lily running forward, throwing her legs around his waist and kissing him very deeply. James moaned, spun around and backed Lily up against the nearest wall. She moaned as he ran his hand through her hair.  
  
"Mmm, Lily." He said, pulling back slightly as the need for air took over. Lily let go and jumped down off him.  
  
"I'm sorry." She whispered. James chuckled and ran a hand up her arm. He was still excruciatingly close to her.  
  
"No, don't be. Its just...I don't know how well I can...control myself." He said, going slightly pink. Lily nodded, her hands still stroking his face.  
  
"Alright.' She said, leaning up to him again. 'Maybe you'd better go." She whispered. James nodded, but he was not moving. Instead, he leant in and kissed her again with the same kind of passion.  
  
If anyone had walked down the hallway at that moment, they would have been very embarrassed indeed. James and Lily were running their hands up and down each other, desperate to feel more.  
  
Finally, it was Lily who physically pushed James back that stopped them. James took three large steps away from her, so now they stood on either side of the corridor.  
  
"Oh James, I'm really sorry." Lily muttered, fixing her robes. James sighed and nodded.  
  
"No, it's ok. I'm sorry too." He said. Lily chuckled.  
  
"What do you have to be sorry for? I started it." She said. James snorted.  
  
"Yeah, but I should have walked away when I had the chance." He said. Lily sighed and nodded.  
  
"Maybe I should just...go to bed." She said, jerking her thumb at the portrait next to her. James smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, alright. I'll see you in the morning." He said. Lily took a step towards him, but seemed to think better of it as she stopped, blew him a kiss and walked straight into her room, closing the portrait behind her.  
  
James sighed and watched the portrait for a few seconds. It was empty. The unicorn must have been out for a walk. He ran a hand through his hair, wondering where on earth that sudden hit of passion had come from.  
  
Finally, after deciding he had stared at the empty frame long enough, he straightened his robes, blew a kiss at the door and stared on his way back to his own room.  
  
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*Ooooh, passion! Check it out man! So, are we enjoying the ride?  
  
Please Review! 


	24. Chapter 24

* Oh, 24! Yes, we're nearly there, just a little longer.  
  
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"I can't believe this. We're going tomorrow." Lily said sulkily. James snorted and Sirius sighed.  
  
"Yeah. It IS rather upsetting isn't it?" he said. Everyone nodded and turned to the front as the entire hall went quiet. Professor Dumbledore had stood up.  
  
"Well, the end of another year had befallen upon us yet again. And I know that for many of you that this will be a sad, emotional time. I therefore, felt it was necessary to wish our 7th years the best of luck with their futures and all their dreams. Hopefully you time with us here has prepared you for...goodness." Dumbledore broke off as a flash of something flew past the window behind him.  
  
BANG  
  
Many people looked around and indeed, many other flashes of light in different colors were now flying around.  
  
"What do you suppose...' Lily began asking James, but he wasn't there. In fact, all the Marauders had disappeared leaving Allison and Lily alone at the table. Lily looked at Allison, who was laughing.  
  
"I knew it!" she said, getting up and running out of the hall. Lily chuckled and ran after her.  
  
The two girls ran down the hallway, into the entrance hall and out into the grounds. In fact, may students were following them, as they probably figured that getting outside to see what was going on was a good idea.  
  
The girls ran around to the Quidditch pitch and their eyes widened with amazement.  
  
Hundreds upon hundreds of fireworks had been let off and were illuminating the sky with an array of colors. When they exploded, they took the shape of dragons, cartwheels, unicorns and other objects. The danced around the sky and the grounds, which forced many people to duck to avoid getting hit.  
  
And then they appeared. The four of the Marauders were hovering just above all the action.  
  
"Ladies and Gentleman! This is our official goodbye. We figured it was our duty to give you all a treat to compensate for all the trouble we've cause over the years!" James called happily, his hands outstretched.  
  
"Yes. Not only does this magnificent display signal the end of the Marauders career, but also the opening for any new rule-breakers wanting to pick up the slack. To those of you who fit that description, we applauded you and wish you the best of luck!" Sirius called. The four boys then flew down and landed in front of Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall.  
  
"Dumbledore, we now wish you good-bye and thank you for your hospitality." Remus said, bowing low. Peter stepped forward and conjured a large ridiculous clown hat.  
  
"For you sir, we present the honorary Marauder hat. In honor of your superb efforts to keep us sensible, even though you failed miserably." He said. Dumbledore chuckled and took the hat off Peter.  
  
"And our beautiful Professor McGonagall...' Sirius said, getting down on one knee in front of her. "How could we ever live without you all these years?" he asked, putting a hand on his heart.  
  
"We do not know how to put into words how much your strictness and detentions have meant to us." Peter said, getting down on his knee also. Remus and James did the same. Professor McGonagall was starting to go rather pink.  
  
"We leave you with this message of love, and just know that you have touched us all in a place that is not meant to be seen by the light of day." Remus said, taking her hand.  
  
"Know that we will never forget you, and that our children will have the privilege of knowing how wonderful you are. How strict, stern and forthcoming you are." James said. And with that, the four Marauders walked forward and each of them kissed her cheek. They all took three steps back and smiled. Professor McGonagall looked too shocked to even say anything, but she was smiling. They got back on their brooms and flew into the air, the fireworks still going off behind them.  
  
"Humble Hufflepuffs, thank you for your wonderful companionship!" Peter called and flew off.  
  
"Gracious Gryffindors, no words can describe how awesome you all are. GO THE LIONS!" Remus called and flew off after Peter. All the Gryffindors cheered enthusiastically and Sirius flew forward.  
  
"Revision-crazy Ravenclaws, you are all wonderful. Don't let anyone tell you your dorks!" he called and flew off.  
  
"Last, and definitely least Slimy Slytherin's...the words I'm searching for to describe what you mean to us...I can't say, as there are young children present. Farewell!" James called and flew off.  
  
The entire crowd with the exception of the Slytherins cheered loudly as the Fireworks continued.  
  
"Come on," Allison called over the noise of the crowd, ', lets go find them." She said. Lily nodded and the two girls, taking one last look at the fireworks, walked back up to the castle.  
  
**  
  
"I think we made them happy, don't you Padfoot?" Remus asked, looking out the window onto the grounds. Sirius chuckled and kicked off his shoes.  
  
"Yeah. No one got hurt... unfortunately. But I think it went well." He said.  
  
"With any luck, those fireworks with set Snape's hair on fire." James said, sitting down next to Sirius on the couch.  
  
As soon as the boys had finished with their speech, they had flown back to Gryffindor tower to get ready for the party they were organizing. They had been saving up all year to provide a good-bye party for all the Gryffindors. There were bottles of Butterbeer everywhere and treats from Honeydukes were spread out on a table. They had organized for the house elves to send some extra food up as well.  
  
At that moment, the portrait hole opened and Lily and Allison ran in, looking very excited.  
  
"Guys, that was brilliant!" Lily said, running over and jumping on James's lap. James laughed with a grunt and wrapped his arms around her.  
  
"Yeah, we thought so." Peter said, settling down on the floor. Allison chuckled and sat down next to Sirius.  
  
"I knew you guys could help yourself. What happened to just a speech?" she asked, looking at Remus. He shrugged and smiled.  
  
"Well, I wasn't totally lying. We DID give a speech." He said. Lily snorted and shook her head.  
  
"Well, I think they should be finished soon. So, lets get into this food!" Sirius said excitedly, jumping out of his seat and running over to the food. Allison laughed, got up and joined him.  
  
**  
  
That night, none of the Gryffindors got to bed until late. They were far too hyped up from a mixture of the fireworks and the tons of sweets they had all consumed. In fact, even Professor McGonagall had stayed for a fair few hours. She had come up to talk to the Marauders about their little show.  
  
"Honestly, I hope for everyone's sake that you four haven't rubbed off on any of the younger students." She said to James. He laughed and took a sip of his drink.  
  
"Now in all seriousness, we weren't really THAT bad were we?" he asked, looking down at her with innocent eyes. McGonagall chuckled softly and took a bite of her chocolate frog.  
  
"Well, I suppose that looking back on it you weren't. But you four have taken up half of my free time in detentions. Its hard to find that amusing at the time." She said. James chuckled and bowed his head respectfully.  
  
"Well, I apologize of behalf of us all." He said. McGonagall smiled as Lily came over and wrapped her arm around James.  
  
"Hey Professor. I hope he's not giving you too much trouble." She said, poking James in the side. He squirmed and McGonagall laughed.  
  
"Oh no. Not any more." She said. "But, I do believe that congratulations are in order for the two of you." She said, smiling at them. James beamed down at Lily.  
  
"Yep. I still can't believe it myself." He said. Lily chuckled and kissed him.  
  
"Well, I can. I say good luck to the both of you." McGonagall said. Lily smiled and embraced her.  
  
"Thanks Professor." She said. McGonagall waved a hand dismissively.  
  
"Oh nonsense. You can call me Minerva now Lily." She said. Lily smiled and James chuckled.  
  
"That go for me too?" he asked. McGonagall smirked.  
  
"Maybe not you." She said. James put on an expression of mock hurt as Sirius walked over and put his arm around McGonagall's shoulders.  
  
"Ah, Professor M." he said. "It's going to be terrible for you with me leaving you behind tomorrow. But I feel I should say that it never would have worked between us." He said dramatically. "I'm sorry love." He said, faking a sob. McGonagall rolled her eyes and removed Sirius's arm from her shoulders.  
  
"Now you, I definitely wont miss." She said, although her eyes were twinkling. Sirius chuckled, kissed her cheek and walked off. James laughed at McGonagall's expression.  
  
"Good old Sirius." He said.  
  
"Yes, too bad he cant live up to his name." She said, looking at Sirius. He was making Peter's hair turn different colors for a group of first years. James chuckled and he and Lily went off to talk to others.  
  
**  
  
"Well, here we are again." James said, looking at Lily's portrait. Lily looked up at it, and then back at him.  
  
"Yeah. I promise this time I wont throw myself at you." She said, fuddling with his tie. James chuckled and sighed.  
  
"Funny how it's our last night in this castle, and all I want to do is sleep." He said letting his head droop slightly. Lily chuckled.  
  
"I know. We should be out breaking rules and causing havoc and ...stuff." She said. James chuckled and shrugged.  
  
"Oh well. I think we've done enough of that in the past 7 years." He said. Lily nodded and wrapped her arms around him.  
  
"Are you sad?" she asked against his chest. James sighed and rested his chin on the top of her head.  
  
"Well...sort of. But then again, the good far outweighs the bad. I get to move into a beautiful house with a beautiful girl and we can possible have a beautiful life with beautiful kiddies." He said. Lily snorted.  
  
"Well, when you put it that way." She said. James laughed and kissed her.  
  
"Come on, lets get to bed.' He said. Lily quirked an eyebrow.  
  
"Are you trying to seduce me Mr. Evans?" she asked. James chuckled and kissed her again.  
  
"Not at all Mrs. Potter." He said. Lily laughed kissed him one final time before walking into her room.  
  
James sighed, spun around and walked off down the hall, his arms swinging at his side.  
  
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*Yes, that was rather short. But I want one last chapter and I thought I should stop this chapter there.  
  
Please review! 


	25. Epilogue

*Yay, chapter 25. Thanks so much for reading my story. Hopefully you'll continue to read my future stories!  
  
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"There it goes." James said, sitting down and watching the castle as the train lurched and pulled slowly away from the station. Lily sighed and sat across from him, resting her legs on his lap.  
  
"I know. I think I've cried enough though." She said, chuckling. James laughed and kissed her hand.  
  
That morning had been very emotional for the 7th years. Many of the girls were crying and hugging as many people as they could. Lily had even hugged a third year she had never met before all because she asked for help to get her trunk on the train.  
  
James and Lily were sitting in the Head compartment, thankful for a little privacy. They had no doubt however, that the others would soon be up there with them.  
  
"Come here." James said, patting the seat next to him. Lily moved over and sat next to him, wrapping her arm around him. James put his arm around her shoulders and rested his chin on the top of her head.  
  
"You tired?" she asked. James closed his eyes and nodded. "You have a nap. I'll wake you later." She said, tracing circles on his chest. James exhaled slowly and shut his eyes.  
  
"Alright." He said. Lily smiled and relaxed against him. "Lily?" he asked.  
  
"Hmm?" she said, smiling.  
  
"Will you...sing to me?" he asked in a bashful voice. Lily sighed and snuggled into him closer, pulling her legs up underneath her.  
  
"What would you like me to sing?" she asked. James shrugged.  
  
"I'm not fussed." He said. Lily nodded, thought for a moment and then began singing.  
  
"At Last. My love has come along, my lonely days are over, and life is like a song...' she sang slowly. James smiled as Lily's beautiful voice filed his ears.  
  
"Oh, at Last. The skies above are blue, my heart got wrapped up in clover, the night I looked at you.' Lily smiled and began singing a little louder.  
  
"I found a dream that I could speak to, a dream that I could call my own, I found a thrill to press my cheek to, a thrill that I have never known...'  
  
"You smile, and the spell was cast, and here we are in heaven, for you are mine...at last." She finished softly and kissed his chest. James sighed and kissed the top of her head.  
  
"Thank you." He said. Lily hummed in answer, and the two of them fell asleep minutes later.  
  
**  
  
James and Lily were awoken a few hours later by the sound of someone knocking on the compartment door. James grunted and blinked the sleep out of his eyes as Lily sat up and stretched.  
  
"Wakey Wakey, hands off snakey!" Sirius said, poking his head through the door with his hand covering his eyes. James chuckled and sat up straighter.  
  
"Get in here you dickhead." He said. Sirius chuckled and turned around back out into the hall.  
  
"Yep, their decent! Fall in!" he said. James and Lily moved over as Sirius plopped down on the carriage opposite, followed by Allison, Remus and Peter.  
  
"Oh Allison, not you too." Lily chuckled as she spotted her best friend with fresh tear-stains on her face. Allison chuckled and wiped her face with her hands.  
  
"Oh, I know! It's his fault. He got me started." She said, nudging Remus with her elbow next to him. Remus chuckled and poked her back.  
  
"I did not. All I did was start talking about how our time went quickly and then the next thing you know she's sprung a leak." He said, jerking a thumb at Allison. Lily chuckled and Sirius lay down on Allison and Remus's lap with a dramatic sigh.  
  
"Yes, but I was the strong shoulder to cry on. I assure you it wasn't that bad." He said, laying his head in Allison's lap. She rolled her eyes, but bent down and kissed him. Remus made gagging noises as he moved Sirius's legs into a more comfortable position.  
  
"It is sad though, not being able to pull pranks there anymore." Peter said, pulling a box of Bertie Botts out of his bag. They all nodded in agreement.  
  
"What good will the map be now?" Remus asked.  
  
"Hey, where IS the map anyway?" James asked. The four boys all looked at each other for a second.  
  
"I thought Wormtail had it." Sirius said. Peter looked at him with horror.  
  
"Me? I thought Moony had it!" he said, pointing at Remus.  
  
"But...I thought Prongs had it. Don't you have it?" He said, looking at James. James shook his head.  
  
"No! I thought Padfoot took it." He said. James looked at Lily. "Do you have it?" he asked, clearly very worried. Lily shook her head. James looked at Allison for an answer, but she shook her head also.  
  
"Oh crap! I can't believe we left it! All that hard work gone to waste." Sirius said, hitting himself in the forehead. The four boys were clearly horrified. "It was clean when we last finished with it wasn't it?" he asked. Remus nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, I cleaned it." He said. Sirius let out a sigh of relief and Peter relaxed slightly.  
  
"Well then, I guess we can only hope that a new breed of Gryffindor pranksters find it instead of Filch." James said. They all nodded in hope as the witch with the food trolley arrived. She looked a little stunned to see so many students in the Head compartment for a moment, but it wore off as Sirius leapt up from Allison's lap and threw himself at the cart, demanding all different sorts of food.  
  
For the next hour, the 6 of them passed around general conversation about their futures and what they could possible hold. They ate, slept, read and basically made the best of their last train ride on the Hogwarts Express. Many students had come in to with the Marauders the best of luck, but some of the younger ones that quite literally hero-worshipped them, had broken down completely at the prospect of them leaving and it had taken James and Sirius a good ten minutes to calm one girl down.  
  
"So Prongs, are you having a house-warming party?" Remus asked, looking up at James from the floor. James chuckled and looked at Lily.  
  
"I suppose. But not for a while. We haven't even moved in yet." He said. Lily smiled and kicked Remus lightly in the knee.  
  
"Don't worry. You're definitely on the guest list." She said.  
  
"What about me?" Sirius asked, grinning. James chuckled.  
  
"No way. I've had enough of you." He said. Sirius smirked and threw half of his cauldron cake at James. Allison rolled her eyes and she and Lily exchanged a look.  
  
"Boys." They said.  
  
**  
  
At no time at all, the Hogwarts Express was slowing down as it approached Kings Cross. It was with much sadness that the Marauders, Lily and Allison all got off the train, collected their luggage and walked onto the platform, giving the train one last look.  
  
"Well, come on." Remus said, and he walked through the barrier back into the real world. The others exchanged a glace, before following suit.  
  
Once they were out in the real world, they all temporarily went their separate was to greet their families.  
  
"Oh Lily sweetheart. Good to see you." Lily's mother said, embracing her daughter. Lily smiled and hugged her mother.  
  
"Thanks mum. Where's dad?" she asked, looking around.  
  
"Oh, he got caught up at work. He's dreadfully sorry he couldn't be here, but he'll see you tonight." She said. Lily nodded and looked around at James. He was talking enthusiastically with his parents, Sirius at his side. Lily shook herself and turned her attention back to her mother.  
  
James looked over at Lily, talking to her mother. Both of them stood out as they both had the same fiery red hair. He smiled and turned back to his father.  
  
"So, your mother and I checked out that place of yours in Godric's Hollow. Its very nice son." He said. James looked at his father with curiosity.  
  
"You've checked it out? Without me being there?" he asked, slightly outraged.  
  
"Oh, Richard. Did you have to tell him?" James's mother said, her arm linked with Sirius's. James snorted slightly as he looked at his mother and best friend, before his father sighed.  
  
"Well, I didn't think he would mind. You don't do you James?" he asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. James sighed and did the same.  
  
"No, I guess not. But now Lily and I don't get to give you any 'Grand Tours' or anything." He said rather sulkily. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"We didn't go in James. We simply looked at it. That's all." Mrs. Potter said. James sighed in relief, before Sirius suddenly dragged Mrs. Potter off over to Allison.  
  
"I need your approval." He muttered to her. Mrs. Potter snorted as Sirius indicated for Allison to come over. She did so, although very reluctantly.  
  
"Allison, this is James's mother Bethany Potter. Mrs. P, this is my girlfriend Allison." He said, beaming at her. Allison politely shook Mrs. Potter's hand.  
  
"Ah, so this is Allison. I must say that Sirius simply doesn't shut-up about you." She said, smirking. Allison chuckled and relaxed. James's mother was a lot like her son it seemed.  
  
"Yeah, I've been told that." She said. Mrs. Potter chuckled and looked to her left.  
  
"Oh, I must go see Remus. It was nice to meet you Allison." She said and walked off, leaving Sirius and Allison alone. Sirius smirked and wrapped his arms around Allison.  
  
"Come on. Come meet my parents." She said, looking up at him. Sirius looked over at her parents, who were watching them out of the corner of their eyes.  
  
"Um, are you sure?" he asked. Allison chuckled.  
  
"Of course. Now come ON! Heel puppy." She said, pulling him by the arm. Sirius laughed and let himself be dragged over to meet her family.  
  
For the nest ten minutes, the families and their children all mingled, whether it was introducing or catching up. Finally, James and Lily broke away from all the fuss and got a few seconds by themselves.  
  
"Oh, I want to go home with you." James said in a child-like tone, resting his forehead against Lily's. She chuckled and wrapped her arms around his waist.  
  
"The feeling's mutual, don't worry." She muttered. James chuckled and kissed her.  
  
"Only two more days. Do you go for your Apparation tests tomorrow?" he asked. Lily nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Do you?" she asked. James shook his head.  
  
"Nah. Remus, Sirius and I booked it in for this afternoon." He said. Lily chuckled.  
  
"You're a bit eager." She said. James smiled and shrugged.  
  
"Well, we've been ready for ages. No point waiting. And plus, I cant stand Floo Powder anymore." He said, cringing slightly. Lily chuckled and hugged him.  
  
"Oh, you're parents look ready to go." She said, looking over his shoulder. James sighed and pulled back from Lily. He looked around to see his parents talking with Lily's mother. They did look like they wanted to go.  
  
"Alright. I'll meet you at your house on Tuesday, and we can apparate together." He said. Lily nodded, smiled and kissed him.  
  
"I miss you already." She said. James chuckled, pulled her closer and kissed her rather passionately, making some people nearby turn a little pink.  
  
He pulled back and looked at Lily. She had a dopey expression on her face.  
  
"That's for the road. Until we meet again my fair maiden." He said, bowing. Lily chuckled and curtsied.  
  
"Until then, good sir." She said. James chuckled, winked at her and jogged over to his family.  
  
Lily watched him go, before shivering and deciding to talk to Allison.  
  
******  
  
"Ok, that has to be it. Prongs, tell me that's it!" Sirius said, walking in topless and putting a large box down on the floor with a grunt. James stood up straight, looked around and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, that's it." He said.  
  
Today was the day James and Lily were moving in. Although they hadn't bought much furniture yet, they still had a lot of possessions from their homes. Remus and Sirius had volunteered to help. Peter was off on holidays with his mother, and Allison was already starting work. Sirius laughed and let his head droop.  
  
"Thank Merlin for that. How much stuff do you guys own?" He asked, running a hand through his hair. James chuckled as Remus walked into the room with another small box, also without his shirt.  
  
"Here you go. This one's from Lily's pile." He said. James nodded and ticked something off the list he was holding and Sirius looked at Remus with horror.  
  
"Why do you get the easy stuff?" he asked outraged. "I've been working like a dog here!" he said, smirking. Remus rolled his eyes and Lily walked into the room, her hair up in a bandana and she was carrying a tray with cold lemonade on them.  
  
"Lillian, can I marry you instead?" Sirius said, running over to her. She chuckled and handed him the tray.  
  
"Sorry, no." she said, walking over to James and kissing him on the cheek.  
  
"Can I move in then?" he asked, looking around the large living room. "This place is great!" he said. Lily smiled and nodded.  
  
"Isn't it just? I mean, it looked great in the paper, but that photo did this place no justice at all." She said, looking around the house in admiration. James nodded, although he was still reading his checklist.  
  
"Ok. I think that's all. Thanks for helping out today guys." James said, looking up at his friends finally. Sirius shrugged and he picked his shirt up.  
  
"No problem Prongs." Remus said. Lily sighed and walked between boxes to them, giving them both a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Yeah, I don't think we could have done it without you." She said. "But you two smell, really bad. So get out of my house." She chuckled. Remus and Sirius looked down at themselves. True, they were both rather sweaty.  
  
"Oh Lily, are you sure you don't want some?" Sirius said, pulling Lily to him. She laughed and pushed him away.  
  
"No! Sicko." She chuckled, running back into the kitchen. Sirius chuckled and put his shirt back on.  
  
"Alright, we're out of here. We'll see you tomorrow." Sirius said, pulling his shirt back on. James nodded, shook Sirius's hand and hugged him.  
  
"Alright. See you. Bye Remus." He said, turning to Remus and hugging him as well. Remus pulled back and got his wand out of his pocket, as did Sirius.  
  
"Bye Lillian!" Sirius called. There was a two second pause, before...  
  
"Bye! I'll see you tomorrow!" came Lily's voice. The three men chuckled and Sirius and Remus Disapparated with a 'pop'.  
  
James stared at the empty space for a second, before walking into the kitchen. He smiled as he saw Lily standing on a chair, already stacking plates and cups in the cupboard to the way she preferred.  
  
"You don't have to do that now." He said, walking up to her. Lily chuckled and put the last cup away.  
  
"Doesn't matter, I'm done now." She said. She leapt off the chair and James caught her with a laugh.  
  
"Can you believe it? Its all ours!" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. James chuckled and kissed her, carrying her back into the living room.  
  
"I know." He said, spinning around with her. Lily laughed as James put her down. He put his hand on her waist and took her hand in his. "Our home." He said. Lily smiled and danced slowly with him.  
  
"Our home." She said. James smiled, bent down and kissed her.  
  
And they continued to dance in their new home, looking forward to the next phase in their lives.  
  
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*Yay! Oh, I'm so happy with all this. Thanks so much for reading my story guys. I hope you enjoyed it. And a sequel? Let me know! Oh and by the way... * drools over shirtless and sweaty Moony and Padfoot * Lol.  
  
Please review! 


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